


Under The Bridge

by honeybunaddict



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Angst and Humor, Attempt at Humor, Basically if Itachi’s love was a lil extreme, Confused Nara Shikamaru, Crime, Humor, Jealousy, Kind of dark, Like seriously he’s like a mini detective, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mentions of Suicide, Mild Horror, Murder, Mystery, Past Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke, Possessive Behavior, Teen Romance, Uchiha Itachi Has Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:53:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 29
Words: 107,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27900310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeybunaddict/pseuds/honeybunaddict
Summary: Sasuke made a pact to himself before his family moved back to Konoha City: Don’t associate with other people. Doing so had only harmed him in the past. Naruto was pretty popular in high school. He was on the basketball team, and he had plenty of friends. But one mysterious new kid seemed to catch his attention. Both teens harbor secrets that they hope will never escape from themselves. It’s only a matter of time before things spiral out of their grasps.
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 70
Kudos: 161





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo! So this is my first major kind of fic so I might make a couple mistakes with formatting and such. There are some sensitive topics that people may not be comfortable with, so please don't read this if anything related to violence or blackmail or mental illness/substance abuse and anything related to that is a sensitive topic for you. I'm still not sure of the direction this is going, so warnings may change.

" _Please_ , granny Tsunade!" Naruto Uzumaki was currently on his knees alongside his best friend, Kiba Inuzuka. Shikamaru Nara had taken his attention elsewhere, not bothering to aid the other two in convincing Tsunade to let them go to a party.

"Come on, it's only a party!" Kiba added. "We promise we won't do anything stupid. Right, Naruto?"

Naruto nodded vigorously and bowed his head down. "I'll do anything. Everyone's going to be there, and midterms are soon so it's a good opportunity to loosen up a little! We're stressed."

The woman in question had her arms crossed as words went in one ear and out from another. As much as she loved the kid, she wasn't going to allow him to become one of those kids.

She grimaced to herself as she imagined those self-entitled jocks and pea-brained bimbos from her time in high school. To be fair, she wasn't sure if they still existed today, but she was sure they'd exist in any generation. Tsunade pursed her lips and rubbed her right temple as she kept her eyes on the two boys bowing in front of her.

"You can find another way to deal with the stress. I'm telling you, no is no. Final!" She said, sternly. "And don't even think of sneaking out. I have eyes like a hawk and ears like a fox, alright?"

A chorus of groans emitted from Naruto and Kiba, while Shikamaru just snorted. He knew they should have taken Neji with them, who could be very convincing at times due to his charm. He heard footsteps coming from behind them, and turned around to see Naruto's dad, Minato Namikaze. He looked cool and passive as usual, though people close to him could tell that he looked slightly troubled and nervous. 

Tsunade seemed to take notice of this, so she eyed him with a raised eyebrow. "You okay there?"

Minato briskly moved towards the door and paused his action to reply with a grim smile. He turned back around and opened the large mahogany door in front of him. "Emergency meeting. Hopefully what I've heard won't be the case."

Before the woman could reply, he was gone. Naruto shifted all of his weight on his arm and leant back to face that direction. "I wonder what that was all about," he mused.

"Some rich people business thing, probably." Shikamaru drawled.

Naruto sighed and jumped up, holding a hand out for Kiba to grab onto. The brown-haired teen obliged, standing up as well. There was no point in convincing someone as stubborn as a mule.

Judging from her blonde hair, one would assume that Tsunade was Naruto's mom, but that was definitely not the case. She didn't look a day over thirty, but in fact she was actually 54. Naruto wasn't sure if it was because of good genes or plastic surgery, but he wasn't looking to find out either. She'd been around for his entire life, taking care of him in place of his real mother, who passed away while she gave birth to him. He had seen pictures of Kushina Uzumaki, but that was all that was. Pictures.

"We should probably get going, now." The kid with a ponytail glanced at his watch and turned his attention towards the idiots in front of him. "School starts in twenty."

Kiba groaned and buried his face in his hands, rubbing it up and down. He and Naruto were the designated dunces of the friend group, so school wasn't really a nice topic to hear about for the two of them.

"Yeah, yeah. Let me get my stuff real quick." Naruto exited the living room to go up the ludicrously long staircase. For someone with a highly successful running business, Naruto's father could have at least been mindful of adding an elevator or two to the house. 

Speaking of Minato, Naruto frowned. The man always seemed to be occupied with something, and could never catch a break. Naruto decided he'd treat his old man to ramen sometime.

He really needed to loosen up once in a while. Naruto walked past a portrait of him and his cousin, Nagato. His expression quickly turned into one of happiness as he remembered that Nagato would soon return to the city.

Nagato was his only known relative from his mom's side, and everyone knew the red haired man loved to spoil Naruto in the instances he'd see him. Briefly, he wondered how he would look if he had red hair, before making a disgusted face and running a hand through his own blond hair. He actually really liked the color of his hair.

Naruto finally arrived at his room after running across a couple of hallways and whatnot, and quickly stuffed his supplies in his backpack. He had attempted to tutor himself last night, and that didn't go as well as he planned, since he ended up losing focus and going to the park to play basketball instead. Speaking of basketball, he decided to bring his own ball as well. After fitting it inside of his duffel bag that he also took with him, he ran back downstairs to see the other boys and Tsunade. 

"I'm ready!"

"Finally, let's get out of this bitch."

"Language, Kiba!"

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha was livid. His morning was going wrong in every way, and all he wanted was to go back to bed and, well, sleep. 

He brooded as he made his way downstairs past the endless stacks of boxes to the kitchen, where his older brother was currently exiting. Itachi Uchiha sent an amused smirk towards his otouto as he walked past him, receiving a violent glare from the younger Uchiha.

Their first full day back in Konoha was in motion, and Sasuke was far from enthusiastic. For one, it meant he'd have to see people he'd known in middle school, and that wasn't a good thing. His middle school days were not days to be proud of, but at this point he didn't care. He had enough on his hands, and popularity in school was something he never had the eyes for.

"Morning, Sasuke!" Mikoto had a kind smile displayed on her face. The youngest Uchiha was convinced she had a closet full of different smiles to plaster on her face for each occasion. The woman was so unlike the rest of the family, who seemed to have a permanent scowl resting on their features. She had a plate of onigiri in her hands, which he eagerly took from. Maybe her cooking could save his mood. 

"Morning, kaa-san," he said, taking a bite from his rice ball. 

She could tell her son was far from excited about being in Konoha City, but she knew he'd grow into it at some point. From her peripheral vision, the moody teen took the liberty of plugging his earbuds into his phone and pushing the buds inside of his ears. Muffled music made its way to her own ears, which caused her to turn around.

"Sasuke, you'll go deaf if you keep playing your music that loud. Even I can hear it."

Sasuke sighed and complied to her implicit order. She was the only one he could oblige to without retaliation. Soon enough, he went back upstairs to change into his new uniform, a beige blazer with sage green stripes and dark pants. They contrasted with his previous uniform at Sound High, which was black, white and purple.

He definitely preferred that uniform to this one, but he couldn't be bothered to care. Sasuke gelled his bangs away from his face and gave himself a quick glance in the mirror before going back downstairs and brushing his teeth in the process.

"I'm off," he announced as he made his way outside. Mikoto smiled and waved, raising a hand to her cheek in joy as she watched her baby boy grow into a young man. 

Sasuke's personal driver, Izumo Kamizuki, was on his phone as Sasuke opened the door to enter. The Uchiha scrunched his nose up at the scent of the car freshener, which seemed to be more prominent than usual. 

"Bourbon?"

"You know it."

He sighed and looked out the window as Izumo began to drive in the direction of the school. Adjusting the seat belt so that it fit tightly around him, he placed his backpack on the other seat and sat back. At least he didn't choose Cherry Blast like last time. Everyone knew about Sasuke's distaste for sweet things.

"Excited for your first day?" The driver inquired as he watched Sasuke from the rearview mirror.

"Hn."

He plugged his ears with the earbuds again, isolating himself from reality as he listened to the still-too-loud music in his playlist. He couldn't help but wonder if the kids from middle school would recognize him. He shook his head slightly to himself. There was no doubt that they would, he left too much of a mark at Konoha Academy, much to his dismay. Sasuke glowered as they passed another street. Itachi was pretty much famous at Konoha High. He was known for being the picture-perfect student, so being compared to the now 20 year old man was inevitable. 

The rest of the ride was silent, aside from Sasuke's loud music that could rupture eardrums and the occasional page flip coming from a textbook. Sasuke wanted to make sure he understood everything that came with the curriculum before actually going in the class. He wasn't going to lose to Itachi.

* * *

"Naruto! Kiba! Shikamaru!" Ino Yamanaka waved and ran over to them, followed by Sakura Haruno. Ino's long blonde hair was blowing in the wind behind her, causing Sakura to dodge the occasional tress that came whirling at her.

"Watch my face, Ino-pig!"

"It's your fault for having such a large forehead that's begging for attention, billboard brow!"

Before she could retaliate, she was cut off as Neji approached them. Neji Hyuuga was a year ahead of them, a senior in high school. His cousin, Hinata, also went to the school. But she was always too shy, especially around Naruto. Neji also went through a phase where he practically loathed her branch of the family due to some drama that went on, but he was able to move past it.

"Hey guys." He stood across from them, calmly and reserved.

"Neji, you have to help us," Kiba pleaded. "Tsunade won't let Naruto go to the party." 

That earned a raised eyebrow from the long-haired Hyuuga. "Why? You've been to parties before."

Naruto sighed. "I know, but I guess she's just worried about us, ya know?"

Sakura raised a hand to flip her pink hair off of her shoulder to her back. She wanted Naruto to come with them to the party, and she could tell everyone else did too. The party in question was being held by a popular upperclassman by the name of Tenten, who was also a good friend of Neji's.

"If anything, we could just hang out at Ichiraku's or something," Kiba suggested.

Ichiraku was the group's designated hangout spot. It had everything-- food, an arcade, a lounge, and more. There would never be a time when Naruto would stop going there. 

He was about to answer when a hoard of squeals came from somewhere near them. Naruto quirked an eyebrow and turned to check out the commotion. The others followed suit, curious to see what was happening. 

* * *

As soon as he emerged from the seemingly expensive black vehicle, Sasuke was met with a hoard of people, mostly girls. He resisted the urge to climb back inside and force Izumo to drive right back and shut the door. Speaking of Izumo, the driver had an amused look on his face. One that Sasuke wanted to punch. Hard. 

Still, he managed to make his way to the school with an unbothered look on his face, one that made women and men alike swoon. He only had one objective in mind, and that was going to the office to get everything set up. He ignored the shouts of "it's really him!" and "Sasuke!" as he remained aloof and calm.

A couple of nasty glares were also shot in his direction, probably by males and people who were aware of what had gone down in the past. He did what he did best and returned the gesture with the most venomous and mean-spirited glare he could muster. That managed to get them off of his ass, earning a haughty smirk from the Uchiha.

Sasuke finally reached the door to the office, breathing a sigh of relief. His first day at Konoha High was already at a sucky start. He walked in with an inscrutable look in his eyes.

"If it isn't Sasuke Uchiha."

Sasuke's eyes flicked up to meet the gaze of a strange looking silver haired man wearing a mask and eye patch. They softened slightly in recognition, closing before reopening.

"I can't believe you're my teacher."

"Hmm, I'd say the same but it was to be expected. I teach AP and you're pretty much the smartest kid I know." Kakashi Hatake's visible eye curved into a half circle. 

The so called smartest kid sighed and looked around. "Why are you here anyway, Kakashi? Isn't this the main office?"

Kakashi shook his head as he picked up a clipboard on the desk.

"This is the teacher's lounge. You're lucky I was here, or you would've gotten scolded. They switched the rooms a month ago." He motioned for Sasuke to follow him as he exited the room. Sasuke obeyed, hurrying a little to catch up. His sight did not miss the awards displayed as they walked through the hallway. The name Itachi Uchiha seemed to be a prominent feature on almost all of them.   
  
Kakashi Hatake was a family friend of the Uchihas. He and Sasuke's cousin Obito had met at school, and formed a close bond along with a girl named Rin. He and Obito enlisted in the army after graduating high school, but were met with an incident that resulted in Obito's unfortunate death and Kakashi's loss of an eye. Sasuke's immediate family had met Kakashi and Rin at Obito's funeral, when Sasuke was around six and Itachi was eleven.

A year or so after, Rin died from health complications that had to do with her heart and respiratory issues. Both of their deaths occurring in such a short time was enough to lead Kakashi to a dark period in his life. Overcome by survivor's guilt and despair, he had taken to drowning himself in work and alcohol. He ended up returning to his senses soon enough, with hope and optimism becoming his new addiction. 

Sasuke paled when he received his schedule.

Kakashi laughed nervously.

"What the fuck? Why do I have to be taught gym by Gai?"

"That was the only class you could fit into. Every other class was full."

Sasuke groaned, resisting the urge to bang his head onto the locker he was assigned. The day only seemed to be getting worse.

* * *

For a second, Naruto thought a well known celebrity had arrived at the school. The screams and squeals seemed comical. Sure enough, he had his own fair share of fangirls to deal with as well, he wasn't going to lie about the fact that he wasn't all that ugly. In fact, he was quite the opposite. Naruto was one of the most sought-after guys at school. As the saying went, pretty people herd together, and that summed up the situation that he was in.

He stood on his toes to get a better look at what was happening, and was met with a sight of dark hair that heavily contrasted with extremely pale skin. He didn't get a clear picture of the guy's face, but he imagined it to be extremely attractive. He turned to look at the others, and was surprised to see a stark disparity of expressions on their faces.

Kiba's face was like his, curious and nosy, Neji's was indifferent, but Sakura, Ino, and Shikamaru's were the most confusing.

Shikamaru looked exasperated, like this was going to be the biggest drag he'd face in his entire life. Ino's eyes were the size of saucers. She obviously recognized the boy from somewhere, the familiarity of the sight seemed to be overwhelming to her.

And Sakura... Looked like she was about to break down in tears.

Naruto remained silent, puzzled at how he should approach the situation.

Neji's voice rang out as the background noise died down. "That was Sasuke Uchiha. Son of the CEO of Uchiha Corp, Fugaku Uchiha."

Naruto and Kiba both perked up slightly at the mention of the name Uchiha. It was probably one of the most well known companies in the country, just like Namikaze Tech. Naruto wondered why Sasuke's appearance caused the others to become like this, he hadn't seen them act so sullen in a long time. 

Shikamaru's voice was next. "He's more well known here as the guy who dated and cheated on the most popular girl in school with her best friend, namely Sakura and Ino, after two and a half years of dating."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto turned to face Sasuke with his mouth spitefully curved downwards. "So, what's it going to be, Uchiha? Do you want to settle this the adult way or the elementary way?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please stop reading if you're not comfortable with violence, substance abuse, emotional abuse, and anything along those lines.

Shikamaru's voice was next to be heard. "He's more well known as the guy who dated and cheated on the most popular girl in school with her best friend, namely Sakura and Ino, after two and a half years of dating."

Naruto and Kiba both gaped at the dull tone of his statement. They'd heard about the guy that broke both Sakura and Ino's hearts, but Naruto definitely wasn't expecting to ever see the guy. He'd always thought of Sakura's ex as some guy who lived far away, never to be encountered with again. The blond teenager couldn't bring himself to face the girls, since he could already imagine what their faces looked like.

"H- how do you know about that in the first place?" Naruto began, with an inquisitive edge to his question.

Shikamaru gave him a scrutinizing look, and was about to answer when he was cut off by Sakura's flat voice.

"He went to our middle school," she said almost emotionlessly. Her friends were able to distinguish it from her other sullen tones, though.

Ino nodded slowly before inhaling sharply and placing her hands on her hips. "Let's not let this get to our heads. There's a party happening soon! We're excited!"

Kiba nodded, acknowledging her attempts to lighten the mood. He clasped his own hands together and stretched. "Plus, we're going to the park after school. Neji and I will do those dances you two wanted us to do so badly. _And_ you can take videos of them."

Neji made a sound of protest, but was cut off by squeals from Sakura and Ino. 

"Really, really?!"

"Thanks, Kiba! Neji!"

Neji sighed and ran his fingers through his long hair. He guessed it was worth it if it gave the two girls happiness. He knew the next couple of weeks, even months, were going to be tiring for Sakura and Ino. He eyed the pink haired girl cautiously. She already seemed to be taking the news of Sasuke being back hard.

The bell soon rang a minute or two after, so Naruto and Shikamaru were left to trudge lazily to their homeroom. He liked being with Shikamaru, since it meant he could have some time to relax, even if it meant being late to AP English. 

They ended up reaching the classroom anyway, which was much more silent than usual. Naruto and Shikamaru turned to face each other in confusion before entering. 

Their teacher, Mr. Kakashi, was late as per usual, but that wasn't what Shikamaru was paying attention to. Naruto's eyes blinked and followed the lazy teen's gaze, and rested on a certain figure that seemed to be detached from the world, listening to music and reading a book. Naruto scowled and marched forward, ignoring Shikamaru's protest.

"Hey."

The mysterious kid sitting down in front of him happened to be sitting on his seat, and seemed to know that it was someone else's seat since Naruto's name was on a sheet of paper in front of him. Most likely an interim report. The pale teen looked up at Naruto with a disinterested expression.

"What?"

"You know what."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and pressed on the little button on his headphones. This blonde guy was already annoying him, and it was only his first day! He eyed the paper in front of him and smirked, picking it up with two fingers. It was obvious that it was an interim report, since it had the letter F displayed on it multiple times. A couple of snickers and winces were heard from the rest of the class.

Naruto blushed furiously in embarrassment and snatched the report from Sasuke's hand.

"Bastard! Give me that." He flipped it over and paled comically. He definitely needed to bring his grades up. Fast. He shook his head and forgot about his failing grades for a second before glaring at dark eyes.

"Ugh, just--" He sighed and crossed his arms. "That's my desk. Go sit somewhere else."

Sasuke sneered at the blond in front of him. He sat rooted to the seat, unwilling to move. Naruto was turning redder by the second. He didn't like the new kid at all. First, he took his seat, and next, he decided to show the entire class his terrible grades! Naruto was about to go into a long tangent about his first impressions but was cut off by a deep voice coming from the front of the room. 

"I see you've all noticed our bright new student, here."

Naruto's face was the complete opposite of bright. He sat on his desk in front of Sasuke's disgusted face in Kakashi's direction. Laughter erupted from the entire classroom at Naruto's petty antics. Sasuke obviously wasn't a fan of being in the spotlight, since his face was contorted in an expression of repugnance.

Kakashi sighed wearily. "Naruto, get off the desk."

That earned an eyebrow twitch from the Uchiha. _S_ _o the idiot's name is Naruto._

"It's my desk! And he won't leave it!"

"Naruto, Sasuke, this isn't elementary school. Come up with a solution by yourselves."

Naruto's eyes widened when Kakashi mentioned the black haired kid's name. He inwardly facepalmed when he realized that was probably the reason why Shikamaru seemed so reluctant earlier. God, he felt like such an idiot.

Meanwhile, Sasuke felt like punching the blond. He was already becoming the center of attention, and that was the opposite of what he wanted. He assumed Naruto was probably well known in the school, since everything he did seemed to be a source of entertainment for the others. Plus, he was visually appealing, so that pretty much did it for the entire female population.

Sasuke was stubborn, and he liked this seat because it was away from all of the other students, which he felt was uncharacteristic for his tanned classmate. He figured it was because of his spiky ponytail wearing friend, who looked like he'd rather be away from the commotion as well. He seemed kind of familiar to Sasuke, but he couldn't place a finger on it.

Naruto turned to face Sasuke with his mouth spitefully curved downwards. "So, what's it going to be, Uchiha? Do you want to settle this the adult way or the elementary way?"

"Hn."

" _Hn?_ That doesn't even mean anything! Just get off of my seat, damn it!"

"Alright, sit next to each other if you both want to sit there so bad," Kakashi said.

"Just- what?"

Naruto was seriously confused now. Sasuke was seething. Even Shikamaru looked surprised.

"I said, sit next to each other."

"Hell no!"

While the two bickered, Shikamaru lazily picked up his supplies and items and dragged himself to an empty seat nearby. The entire situation was too troublesome to listen to, and he just wanted to skip and eat barbecue with his best friend Choji or something.

Sasuke seemed to take note of this and walked over to the seat while Naruto was furiously making his points about something. The blond paused and watched Sasuke before opening his mouth and sending a look of betrayal towards Shikamaru, who shrugged and sat down.

Sasuke sat facing away from Naruto, who sunk down in his seat and slammed his head on his desk. The ebony eyed teen was ready to run out of the class and smash his head through a window and jump off of it. Too many eyes were on him, and all he wanted was to go to school with no complications and drama, graduate, and become successful in the name of his heritage. He sent Kakashi a nasty glare as the bell rang for the first period. 

* * *

"I hate him. I hate him!" Naruto flung his hands upwards and clasped them around his hands.

"It can't be that bad," Neji reassured him.

"Oh, but it is! He's such a- a- a teme!"

Kiba made a pff noise and dug into his lunch, beef and chicken mixed in a way that kind of resembled dog food.

"Whatever, he'll probably get bored of sitting next to you and beg Mr. Kakashi to move him somewhere else."

"Preferably to switch back with me," Shikamaru added. "This girl won't stop grabbing my hair."

The group of boys laughed, cracking jokes about Shikamaru's pineapple shaped head. The girls weren't at the cafeteria at the moment since they had art class to attend.

Naruto stretched in his seat as he ate his spaghetti, bending in every direction until he met eyes with a certain asshole that he'd met earlier. Sasuke was standing at the front of the cafeteria, looking somewhat lost as he looked for a place to sit. He glared at Naruto before walking over to a secluded area in the corner, where he took out a rectangular box and began to eat. 

Naruto felt somewhat bad, watching the black haired boy eat while reading and listening to music in isolation, but then he remembered what Shikamaru had told him earlier.

_"He's more well known as the guy who dated and cheated on the most popular girl in school with her best friend, namely Sakura and Ino, after two and a half years of dating."_

Naruto wasn't one to judge a person right away, since there was always more to the story, but Sakura and Ino were his friends. Anyone who messed with his friends was on his bad list.

"You going to eat that, Naruto?" 

Naruto perked up, snapping out of his thoughts to look at Choji Akimichi. "Oh.. Uh, nah. You can have it."

He handed the leftover spaghetti over to his friend, who took it in his hands and dug in. Choji was nice, Naruto was glad Shikamaru introduced him to him. He knew the shorter, plump kid was raised in a less fortunate environment, where things didn't come as easily to him. That was why he took every opportunity to not let food be wasted, even when he moved to Konoha city where food was much more abundant.

Neji eyed Naruto. He knew that Naruto had the tendency to weigh morality over other things sometimes, so he could tell that Naruto was currently debating on his views towards Sasuke.

"Now that Sasuke's moved back, there's a large chance that Uchiha Corp. will become a competitor for other companies in Konoha city again."

Naruto faced Neji, immediately understanding what he meant. Namikaze Tech and Uchiha Corp were known to have had a long sustaining rivalry against each other for years. Now that both businesses were in the same location, there would be massive issues when it came to sales and marketing. His eyes returned to glance at the Uchiha. 

* * *

_Kami is punishing me, I know it._ Sasuke thought to himself as he read his current addiction, the Vince Flynn series. He felt uncomfortable in his own skin at the stares he was receiving. All he wanted, _all he wanted_ was to study hard enough to land himself a spot at a prestigious college. One that would make his father proud. One that was better than Itachi's. The loudness of the lunchroom and the probing looks were enough to make Sasuke dig into his pocket for his headphones and shield himself from reality, immersing himself into the book he was interested in, Kill Shot.

Sasuke liked to do this often. It was his version of an escape from reality, which everyone needed once in a while. In his case, it was most of his life. He'd know especially, since he had even stooped low enough to become wrapped up in the drama of drugs. Hey, it's not what you're assuming. Sasuke depended on them for medical reasons. They were meds for brain trauma. Sure, Sasuke had a lot of skeletons buried in his closet, but voluntarily taking hard drugs was not one of them. 

Speaking of the pills, now was probably a good time to take them. Something good that came with being secluded and isolated from society was that less attention could be brought to him when he did things that would most likely cause someone to become concerned. For example, Sasuke often smoked, but nobody knew because he didn't make close friends. He reached into his bag to sneak a capsule out, away from any gazes. He popped one in his mouth and took it with his food. 

Only his family and school staff knew about his condition. It wasn't something he wanted the entire school to know, since it had obviously been a mistake to let everybody know in elementary school. Everyone and their moms avoided Sasuke out of fear that something would happen in front of them, like him dropping down and having a seizure or something. To be fair, they weren't wrong. His last years of elementary and middle school were probably the worst he'd had in his entire life, which in and of itself was pretty short so far. 

When he was seven, a couple of days after his birthday, Sasuke Uchiha faced the worst day of his life. While he didn't remember any of it, he did remember the aftermaths. 

_He and his family were at a court, watching his distant relative Shisui during his trial._

_Sasuke had been escorted out of the room by his father, since the images being presented to the jury were too graphic for his innocent eyes to see._

_Little Sasuke had ended up wandering around the building, when he heard loud shots being fired. He became extremely frightened, especially when screams were audible coming from the courtroom. He ran towards that direction, but he froze halfway. Petrified and horror-struck, Sasuke was unable to move when he encountered a hallway full of bodies in front of him._

_He slowly looked up with tears in his eyes at a tall, masked figure in front of him. What was more shocking was that there was another, much more familiar person next to him. The younger looking person nudged the older one and whispered into their ear, and before Sasuke could say anything,_ _all he saw was black._

It was while he laid in a hospital bed after his coma that he had learned that the man who had done it was Obito Uchiha, which had broken Kakashi even more. Even worse, he had an accomplice. One that Sasuke felt overwhelmingly guilty for knowing about, because the man was still free. The man who was only a preteen when it happened. Itachi. 

After that day, Sasuke began to suffer from massive migraines and a countless number of mental issues and gaps of memory. Still, he refused to tell anyone after elementary school. Nobody knew about what happened aside from his family, professionals, and school staff. Itachi never mentioned what happened, instead continuing to act like Sasuke's kind older brother while Sasuke's perception of him continued to warp itself.

Sasuke was scared to love him, but he was also afraid to hate him. He knew exactly what Itachi was capable of, but his older brother always acted like he really cared. Like he truly loved Sasuke.

So he drowned himself in schoolwork and isolation. Every time he was close to remembering what happened, he'd open a pack of cigarettes and blast music into his ears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! This is my first lengthy fic so I'm not sure how I'm doing so far. Please leave comments or suggestions.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto had struggled to sleep after that day. Jiraiya was named a hero, but Naruto couldn't help but feel guilty. If he hadn't reached for that ball, none of it would have ever happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Graphic depictions of violence! Please don't read this story if you aren't comfortable with violence, abuse, substance abuse, and anything along those lines.

The next three periods were uneventful, just teachers droning on and on about things that Sasuke already knew. The teaching style at Konoha High was much slower, probably because the school didn't require an intense test to take for admission. Luckily, none of those classes included the blond moron, so he was able to focus. 

Next on his schedule was gym.

For the entire day, gym was probably the class he'd dreaded the most, with the second one being Physics. Orochimaru Sensei gave him the creeps, and it wasn't just because of his tendency to get a little too close to Sasuke. The snake-like teacher actually taught at Sasuke's previous school, Sound High. What weirded him out was the way that the teacher moved schools at around the same time he did, to the same school. Sasuke made a mental note to stay away as far as he could from the Physics teacher.

He inwardly begged his feet to stop moving, but the logical part of his brain told him that if he wanted to surpass Itachi, attending gym was necessary. A more depressing part of his brain told him that attending it would make no difference, since he wouldn't be partaking in any of the activities anyway.

See, because of his head injury, Sasuke was much more sensitive to more long-term issues, and if he were to get hit on the head or fall too hard, it was game over. He'd probably have to sit on the bleachers and do worksheets while everyone else had fun, and he was fine with it. Still, he loathed his brother for disabling him like this. He didn't care if he meant to do it or not, it didn't stop him from feeling impaired and debilitated. 

Sasuke ended up reaching the locker rooms and did his best to avoid the sweaty, half naked bodies that swarmed around him. He noticed that most of them were either muscled or fat, which was a stark contrast to the common figure of Sound High. He supposed it was because of, again, the location and the fact that only smart people went to Sound High.

Sasuke himself wasn't as built as most of the male population, but he still was able to maintain a healthy amount of muscle. He was pale, angular and lean, with visible outlines of his biceps and abdominal muscles.

A particular tanned arm whirled towards him and whacked his bare side, hard. Sasuke recoiled and glared daggers at the offender, whose head rapidly rotated in his direction.

"Shit! Damn, s- sorry about that..."

Naruto trailed off as he slowly realized who it was that he had smacked. Beside him, Kiba was crying of laughter. The Uzumaki always seemed to be getting himself in the most awkward situations.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and viciously pulled his gym shirt down to cover his previously bare torso. The blond idiot always seemed to be around, finding ways to bother him. On his way out, he kicked a sock and a pencil next to Naruto's right foot without him knowing.

He smirked, not needing to hear his name come out of Naruto's mouth as he heard a thump and a yell echo along with the chatter coming from the boys in the locker rooms.

* * *

Naruto was fuming as he entered the gym with Kiba, Sakura and Ino. A light bruise marked the side of his face, along with the three tattooed lines that were visible on each cheek. He said sorry! And the Uchiha still felt the need to irritate him like this.

He frowned and rubbed his cheek. Because of Sasuke's persistence in somehow being better than him, he had slipped on the cluster of items that Sasuke had left and fell face down on the dirty floor. That in and of itself was disgusting, but what was even worse was the bruise that was now turning purple. Gosh, as if the lines on his face weren't enough to set him apart from everybody else.

The lines in question were tattoos he received when he was younger, to conceal the prominent scars that he'd sported since an early age. The scars were a bad memory for him and his family alike. They symbolized the day that Naruto had lost his godfather. Naruto was six when it happened. He had been playing and messing around with Nagato, who was around nineteen at the time. 

* * *

_"Nagato, Nagato! Watch this!"_

_"One second, Naruto. I need to get something. Be patient, will you?"_

_Six year old Naruto nodded enthusiastically as his red haired cousin got up from his seat to grab a couple of snacks. He couldn't wait to show Nagato the new ball trick he'd learned._

_Jiraiya, Naruto's godfather who aided Kushina and Minato in naming their son, smiled as he watched the little boy stumble on his own feet. Naruto sure was growing up fast._

_Naruto was about to try his trick again when he staggered and dropped the ball down into the creek. He cried out in disappointment and reached down to grab it. He was obviously unsuccessful. He tried again one more time, but instead he wobbled over and fell, crashing and colliding with hard rock and dirt while he screamed in pain on his way down._

_Tears already streaming down his face, Naruto fearfully looked around to meet the eyes of a scary looking animal. He screamed again and ran in the other direction, away from the loft he was staying at during summer vacation._

_Jiraiya had been reading the daily newspaper while this was occurring. The wood and windows had blocked the cries from making their way to his ears, but a wave of uneasiness washed over him._

_He turned his head to face the window, and immediately stood up and dashed out when he didn't see Naruto there. He heard faint cries come from afar, and began to run in that direction._

_The sight he was met with was alarming enough for Jiraiya to pounce forward. Naruto was under an absurdly large, seemingly rabid fox. There was dark, crimson blood all over the traumatized child's face and splattered on the ground._

_He took position in front of Naruto, whose hands were covering his own face in terror. Jiraiya had taken enough wilderness classes to know how to fend a rabid animal like this off, but something was different about the fox. It seemed to have no motivation stronger than killing for the sake of bloodshed._

_He quickly sent a reassuring glance towards Naruto as he struggled against the seemingly demon-like fox, though the blood seemed to block the blond boy's vision. Soon enough, Jiraiya could hear other sounds that sounded completely inhuman. There were more animals like this coming, and if this continued to keep up both him and Naruto would die. He pushed the fox as far away as he could, hoisting the child up and running as fast as he could, away from the sounds. He hugged Naruto tight, murmuring reassurances, unsure if Naruto could hear him past his cries._

_The fox followed right behind, nearing closer and closer. Jiraiya took note of this and apologized as he tossed Naruto away from the commotion, into a tiny crevice between three large rocks. They were far from rational thought, as his only goal was Naruto's survival._

_"Naruto, hide! And don't come out!"_

_Naruto ducked deeper into the crevice, unable to watch what was happening. His ears betrayed him, and were able to hear everything. He heard as Jiraiya struggled and grunted against the fox. He heard as more and more monsters seemed to crowd around his favorite old man. His favorite old man that played with him and taught him all about sports, and fishing, and everything._

_He plugged his ears and screamed when he heard the sounds of sharp nails digging through flesh._

Naruto had struggled to sleep after that day. Jiraiya was named a hero, but Naruto couldn't help but feel guilty. If he hadn't reached for that ball, none of it would have ever happened.

He knew Nagato felt guilty as well. It was the nineteen year old's job to look after him after all.

After getting the scars tattooed, Naruto felt much more comfortable in his own skin. His father and Tsunade, who were also deeply saddened by Jiraiya's fate, spoiled Naruto rotten.

* * *

Neji greeted them along with Rock Lee and Tenten as they entered the gymnasium.

"Hey guys!" Lee grinned, waving as they walked over to the others.

"Hey Lee, Neji, Tenten," Sakura greeted.

If this happened during freshman and half of sophomore year, Sakura would have run as far as she could from the male with glossy hair and thick eyebrows. However, she was able to learn to see through appearance after Lee had saved her life, pushing her away from an incoming vehicle.

She ended up feeling a great contempt for herself afterwards, since he had broken his leg in the process. Luckily, the damage wasn't permanent and he was able to get back on track some time later. Ever since that day, she and Lee became very good friends that could talk to each other about anything.

While the group conversed, an exaggerated howl erupted from the left side of the gymnasium.

"Well, if it isn't Sasuke Uchiha!"

The student in question had a mortified look on his face, causing Naruto's mouth to quirk upwards in response. This action wasn't missed by Neji, whose eyes paid attention to every detail.

Maito Gai, or Guy, as everyone called him, was known to be an extremely enthusiastic person. This was clearly obvious when the man began listing every detail about the teenager, who seemed to be becoming even more irritated with each second. Naruto also couldn't hold in a laugh when the jumpsuit-clad, yes, jumpsuit-clad, teacher, attempted to lift Sasuke into the air.

Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows as he whacked Guy Sensei's hand out of the way. "Quit that, Guy. Go kiss up to Kakashi or something." 

Gai scoffed and crossed his arms. "It's called a rivalry, Sasuke- _chan_." He smirked as he added the Japanese honorific. He loved to embarrass the Uchiha, as he thought of him as a nephew of some sort. The same went for any of Kakashi's immediate friends.

"Damn it, Guy!"

The teacher let out a boisterous laugh in response before crossing his arms and shaking his head, clearing his throat and lowering his voice so that only Sasuke could hear him.

"Right now we're in our volleyball unit, so I'll be giving you packets on that. You won't get anything today, since I know you're trying to adjust to this lifestyle. If you need anything, _anything_ , let me know. Okay?"

Sasuke nodded absentmindedly. He appreciated the concern, but sometimes he couldn't help but just feel weak compared to everybody else. He wanted to show everybody that he could do the same things they did. He turned to walk to the bleachers, where he cracked open _Kill Shot_ and began to read, plugging his earbuds in to block the noise.

Meanwhile, Naruto watched with a solemn look on his face as Ino and Tenten dragged a miserable Sakura away to console her.

"So their break-up was that bad, huh?" Kiba inquired, though he already knew the answer.

"Seems so," Neji answered.

Shikamaru and Lee were quiet, but their silence spoke loud enough for the others to understand.

Soon enough, the bell had rung and the mood had lifted. Adrenaline coursed through Naruto's veins as he spiked the ball as hard as he could to gain a point for his own team. Kiba and Lee cheered, fistbumping Naruto as the blond athlete made his way back into position. From his peripheral, he noticed that Sasuke hadn't made an effort to join in on any of the fun. Naruto frowned, but quickly diverted his attention towards the court when he heard the ball being smacked.

Shikamaru caught sight of Naruto turning to look at Sasuke every so often and eyed him skeptically. He hadn't missed Neji's occasional glances towards the blond either, probably for the same reason as Shikamaru.

He wondered what Naruto's infatuation for the Uchiha was about. As for Shikamaru, the former stoner envied Sasuke. He would so rather be sitting on the sidelines and contemplating the universe instead of participating in such a drag of a sport. Though still, he had never had an opinion on the guy, aside from knowing some things were definitely wrong with him and the way he seemed to think. Plus, he was sure he'd even caught the Uchiha smoking.

Naruto paid little attention to Shikamaru's wary gaze, feeling energized and ready to destroy their opponents. His passion for sports outweighed most of the things in his life, especially basketball. He loved to run as well, feeling wind on his face was probably the best feeling ever. 

* * *

The bell finally rang for homeroom once more, and Sasuke was elated to leave. The school day was finally nearing its end. He walked slowly while others ran towards the doors, sweaty and tired. Sasuke grimaced and held his breath to avoid smelling anything he didn't want to take a whiff of.

His eyes were drawn to a flash of pink, a pink that looked all too familiar to Sasuke. As he expected, Sakura and Ino were walking side by side next to a group of people.

They were two of the only people he remembered from the Academy. The sight of the two girls brought a bitter taste to Sasuke's mouth. Most of high school was a blur for the Uchiha, but the two of them were vivid reminders of why making friends was completely unnecessary. 

Kakashi was sitting on his desk and reading a book of a certain genre that was most likely banned on school grounds, but Sasuke couldn't be bothered to let the teacher know. If anything, the school probably knew already. He pulled out a piece of paper, playing around with it and folding it into a pentagon shape. Sasuke sighed and tossed it into his messenger bag.

Naruto fumbled with his car keys until the final bell rang and cheered, causing the rest of the class to mimic him. The only two that hadn't returned the enthusiasm were Shikamaru, which was understandable due to his incurable laziness, and the asshole, Sasuke.

The blond haired male frowned as he stood up. So far, he learned that Sasuke didn't like to communicate, was a bastard, and just didn't smile. Or do anything that involved being happy. Maybe he just wasn't a happy person.

A dark part of him sneered. _Serves him right for doing that to Sakura and Ino._ He squeezed his eyes shut and physically shook his head. 

He decided to forget about Sasuke for the time being. There was a certain Haruno that needed cheering up at the park today.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He swore to himself, if the food wasn't good, Minato's wallet would have to encounter a sodium-packed Ichiraku style surprise.

"Damn it, damn it, _damn it!"_ Minato exclaimed, pacing back and forth in his office. 

Tsunade was sitting on the sofa next to the door, rubbing her temple with a manicured finger. There was no doubt the blond haired business owner would end up like this, especially when it came to his company.

"Calm down, Minato," she said sternly.

"You don't understand. Fugaku Uchiha is an extremely calculative person. There has to be a reason he invited us over for dinner."

"And what's so bad about that? Can't you just come up with an agreement? Maybe even a partnership?"

Minato paused his movement and sighed. "I've been in meetings with this man. I don't think he's the type of person that would settle down for a partnership."

Tsunade's lips quirked as she furrowed her eyebrows in thought. Minato was right. Fugaku Uchiha was known to be a cold and manipulative man who would do anything for the sake of his corporation. Still, she believed that every situation harbored hope, so she stood up and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Why don't you settle down, have tea with me, and come up with a plan while we wait for the brat to come home?" An almost motherly tone was apparent in her voice. She cared for the family deeply, since they were the only people she had that connected her to her late lover, Jiraiya.

Minato closed his eyes and nodded, following Tsunade out the door as she held it open for him. It was around 5:30 PM and Naruto was still not home. He'd sent the driver, Kotetsu Hagane, to bring Naruto back from wherever he was. The two of them sat around the coffee table as a housemaid brought them teas of their own choice.

"Honestly, I think you should still suggest the partnership."

"Only if it's necessary. I'll see what he has in mind first, since it was him that invited us over in the first place."

"I suppose you're right."

A pause. They took some time to sip from their tea.

Minato cleared his throat. "His son will be there too." This earned an eyebrow raise from the doctor.

"Itachi Uchiha? He's already an adult?"

"Yeah, he turned twenty a couple months ago."

"Wow. Time sure flies by. Soon, you'll be my age!"

"I'm sure most would kill to look as young as you do."

Tsunade rolled her eyes, but the action was easily dismissed at the expense of her smile. She was glad Minato wasn't as corrupt as other wealthy businessmen. Sure, she didn't know everything, but she knew he stuck to his word. He and Naruto were her two sources of joy.

After a couple of minutes of conversing, they heard a car arrive at the driveway. Naruto entered through the large mahogany doors and an audible thump was heard, probably from his bag. The housemaid, despite the teenager's protests, hurried to bring it upstairs. From the corner of his eye, he noticed that his father was home, along with Tsunade. He stormed over to them, ready to go on a rage-filled tangent about his entire day.

"Hey Naruto, how was school?" Tsunade greeted.

"Horrible. Painful, terrible!" He slumped over on the couch next to Tsunade, who watched him suck in a deep breath.

"So there's this new transfer student, right? And God, when I tell you he is the biggest asshole to ever exist, know that he is. Honestly, I had no idea shitty people like that existed! See this bruise?" He motioned over to his barely visible bruise in a flailing motion. "It's his fault! Why? I accidentally hit him while changing so he decided to trip me with a sock! A sock! I hate him!"

He completed his rant by covering his face with his hands and yelling into them.

Tsunade and Minato blinked, staying silent for a moment before Minato cleared his throat.

"First of all, keep your language respectful under this roof. And second, what bruise?"

Tsunade inwardly cringed. That was clearly the wrong question to ask. "What he means is, should we be concerned about this new kid?"

Naruto mumbled something under his breath about a "stupid teme," but quickly shook his head and looked up at the two adults. "Nah. He's just annoying. What are you two sitting down here for, anyway? This never happens." 

Minato took a deep breath and set his tea down as he watched another housemaid serve Naruto his own cup.

"We've been invited to dinner by a business acquaintance. And no, you're not sitting this one out."

Naruto slouched even farther down his seat. He noticed how tense his dad seemed to be, so he knew this wasn't something he could evade. But he loathed business meetings, especially when it was over a meal. He hated how fake and forced the environment always seemed to be during them.

"Sounds fun," he said sarcastically. "When?"

"You should be ready in about an hour."

"An hour?! Who the hell eats dinner at 7?" Naruto jolted up from his seat. So far, his day wasn't going as well as he'd planned. If the food wasn't good, he promised himself multiple bowls of ramen bought straight from his dad's wallet.

Tsunade's face was frozen in thought. Her eyes remained focused on Naruto. While Minato droned on about the details on how Naruto should dress and present himself, the two sides of her mind debated on a certain subject that had Naruto and Kiba begging at her feet in the morning. Tsunade had a tendency to spoil Naruto to the point of her not even noticing it. She pursed her lips against each other, deeply immersed in thought. Maybe allowing the kid to go to a party wouldn't be all that bad. After all, it was almost his birthday.

* * *

Sasuke stood in front of the mirror and examined himself, adjusting his hair and tie. His pale skin remained almost translucent as light reflected off from his face. Minato Namikaze and his family were coming over, and he knew he had to be on his best behavior. He wondered what the man was like. His own father never talked about anything having to do with his company with Sasuke, so he was unsure of what exactly the meeting was for. Since Itachi was the heir to Uchiha Corp., the dinner was all the more so dedicated to him, since it was his first time. Like always, Sasuke was going to have to keep his mouth shut throughout the entire meal. 

He heard his door crack open slightly, before it opened completely to reveal an already dressed Itachi Uchiha. The younger brother gave him a death stare as he walked in. 

"Have you ever heard of something called privacy?"

Itachi took no notice of Sasuke's question, instead picking up a photo to examine it. "Are you nervous?" The inquiry caught him off guard. Itachi's voice was empty, yet the words held concern. 

Sasuke's glare became greater as he watched his weasel of a brother turn his back in his direction. "Of course not. It's just dinner."

The college student nodded and swiftly brushed a lock of hair that didn't quite reach his neat ponytail from his face. Unlike Sasuke, Itachi was mechanical when it came to just about everything he did. It was enough to unsettle the teenager, especially because of...

"Okay. I trust that you will not speak a word, especially while our father and I are talking."

That earned an eyebrow raise from Sasuke. Was Itachi worried that something would go wrong? "I know, I know. You won't hear a peep." 

"Good," Itachi's deep voice reverberated near his ear. Sasuke stood rigid, his legs rooted to the ground as anxiety made his stomach churn. Since when did he move from the table to Sasuke's side? Sasuke gulped and managed to neutralize his heart rate as Itachi made his way to the door.

"Oh, and if otou-san says anything to you in private, take it with a grain of salt."

"What? Why? What will he-" He was cut off by the sound of his door shutting. Feeling frustrated, he walked over to the photo of their past home and wiped it down. He hated how cryptic and inscrutable the older Uchiha was. 

Unlike the rest of his family, Sasuke had a tendency to become driven by emotion. He loved his mother, but sometimes he wished he'd inherited more of his father's genes just for the sake of understanding why they were like that.

The distance from his room to the dining room was quite lengthy, but he stubbornly refused to take the elevator. While he wouldn't admit it to anyone, elevators creeped him out. Plus, there was a chance Itachi was using it right now and Sasuke wanted to stay as far away as he could from the male. He checked a clock on his way downstairs, which read 6:45 PM. Minato Namikaze and his family would be arriving soon.

Mikoto, Itachi, and his father, Fugaku Uchiha, were standing near the staircase as he strided down each step. His mother wore light and professional makeup along with a cream blouse and dark dress pants. Both his father and Itachi were wearing dark suits and ties, while Sasuke wore a suit vest along with a dark blue tie. If Sasuke had a word to describe his family, it would be cold.

"Sasuke! I was about to send someone to come get you," his mother pointed out as she adjusted the collar on her top.

"Sorry, I almost lost track of time."

The stony look on his father's face along with his silence was enough to tell Sasuke about what he thought about his tardiness. Sasuke breathed out softly through his nose. It wasn't like his reaction was going to be different if he had arrived earlier.

* * *

The manor that Naruto, his father, and Tsunade had arrived at was huge. The exterior was huge, the garden was huge, everything looked like it cost a fortune. To be fair, his own place was pretty big for the few of them, but this was almost like a castle. 

"Looks like we've arrived," Kotetsu announced. Minato thanked the bodyguard that opened the door on his side and stepped out of the car. Tsunade and Naruto followed suit, meeting up with Minato's assistant, Hayate Gekko, whose coughs seemed to be worse upon their arrival.

Naruto already didn't like the aura here, it was too cold, too empty for a family to be living here. The others seemed to share the same observation, as Tsunade had barely managed to conceal a shiver.

The large door suddenly opened as a warm light escaped into the outside. Two men in suits and sunglasses exited first, before a man and a woman followed. As the group approached them, Naruto's eyes compulsively glued themselves onto the woman. She looked familiar, but he couldn't place a finger on it.

Naruto tore his eyes away from her and focused on a well designed window as he listened to his father greet the man. His head jerked up as he heard a familiar name.

"It's nice to see you, Mr. Uchiha."

Mr. Uchiha? Uchiha?! He was at the bastard's house?! 

"It's a pleasure to see you too, Mr. Namikaze."

He was already planning for ways to escape the situation. The last thing he wanted was to be near Sasuke, much less eating dinner with him. He could already imagine how awkward it was going to be. Blue eyes tried to peek past the thin rectangle of light emitting from the door, but was unsuccessful in finding anything. It didn't matter, though, since a pleasant voice was next to reach his ears.

"You must be Kushina's son. What a pleasant surprise!"

Naruto's eyes widened. This woman, who he assumed was Sasuke's mom, knew his own mom? He was proven right when a saddened look reached her eyes before she quickly shook it away.

"I remember seeing you when you were only a little baby. You've grown so much since the last time I've seen you."

Naruto blushed slightly at her remark. He couldn't help but feel a bit bashful every time an older woman gushed about his younger days. Especially when that woman happened to be an asshole's mom. Speaking of Sasuke, Naruto was genuinely shocked that he was even related to her. She seemed so kind, yet she and Sasuke shared almost every physical feature, aside from their obvious difference in gender.

"Yep, it's me," he flashed her a sunny smile, remembering what his dad told him about good impressions. 

"Gosh, you've become such a handsome young man. I'm sure you've become a ladykiller."

A nervous laugh was let out in response as he scratched the back of his neck. "I've met a couple. Still waiting for the right person." 

Minato smiled and placed a gentle hand on Naruto's shoulder. He opened his mouth to say something, but quickly shut it when Fugaku began to speak.

"It's beginning to get chilly. Please, join us inside."

Tsunade and Minato nodded as they began to follow the Uchihas and other men with suits into the manor. It was beautifully decorated, but that wasn't enough to stop him from feeling tense. The place kind of seemed haunted. They were led past a long hall into a large dining room, where two figures seemed to be conversing.

The taller one turned around to face them, walking towards them with a gracefulness that seemed unreal. The other, more familiar one, followed suit with less elegance than he'd expected. Though it could have been the same as usual, just overshadowed by the rest of the family.

Both Naruto and Sasuke froze as they met each other's gazes. Naruto wished he had a camera so that he could snap a picture of Sasuke's face. He looked like a deer caught in headlights. In all fairness, he was sure he looked similar to, maybe even worse off than the black haired teenager. Speaking of appearances, Sasuke seemed to have done a bit of preparing to look as refined as he did now. 

The well-prepared teen in question wanted to grab a wine glass that was currently standing on the table and throw it on the floor. Imagining the sound of it shattering and shocking everyone else in the room almost brought a smile to his face, but he knew he'd be in a lot of trouble if he really did it. He sent a venomous glare towards the blonde, whose tie was starting to bother his eyes. Seriously, who the hell picked orange? Naruto seemed to have an orange version of everything. Even his notebooks and water bottle were orange!

 _What the hell are you doing here?_ He mouthed, the glare still visible on his face.

Naruto had a wild look of confusion and frustration on his face. _I don't know! I should be asking you the same!_

_I live here!_

The tanned, tattoo faced boy flushed and crossed his arms before uncrossing them, remembering the importance of etiquette. He was never really good at that type of thing. Something seemed to light up in Sasuke's eyes, who finally remembered to walk hurriedly over to the group that was greeting Itachi.

Naruto took the opportunity to examine the young man wearing a dark ponytail. He seemed kind yet reserved, and unapproachable. There was no doubt that he was gorgeous. In actuality, the entire family seemed to be a cluster of beauty. There was barely any flaw visible on them, aside from Sasuke's personality. He caught the name _Itachi_ just in time. 

As if on cue, the tall man's eyes were suddenly on him. Naruto's heart leapt as he turned away. He felt somewhat intimidated by him, since he seemed so far away even though he was standing only a couple of feet away from him. Naruto wondered what it was like to live with him. He looked at Sasuke one more time, who was bowing and greeting his dad and Tsunade with a level of respect he couldn't imagine being directed towards himself.

He swore to himself, if the food wasn't good, Minato's wallet would have to encounter a sodium-packed Ichiraku style surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading so far! Please let me know if there are any issues or misconceptions that I need to fix. <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A particular lyric caused Sasuke to focus his gaze slightly on the blond. He kind of did resemble a sunflower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: If you've read the past chapters, I hope you've read the warnings because I might forget to add them from now on. Again, if you are uncomfortable with violence, trauma, abuse of any kind, and anything along those lines, don't read this fic. Thank you! Also, if you don't like yaoi... Uh, if you haven't noticed yet, this fic probably isn't for you.

The meal was actually quite nice. Naruto ate with as much neatness as he could muster, but he couldn't help but make a couple of faces of delight after each bite. Whoever cooked the Asian-style meal was talented at what they did. Occasionally, Naruto would glance at the Uchihas from the corner of his eye. They were all so... unanimated. Mechanical. It was like they had scripted the entire dinner.

Sasuke seemed to be having the most trouble out of his family when it came to grace and precision. In fact, he seemed to be bothered by something. Naruto ripped his gaze from the other teenager and focused on the three men conversing about things Naruto barely understood.

Being the heir to Namikaze Tech was a subject of many arguments between him and his father. Naruto didn't see himself becoming a businessman in the future. He was still unsure, but his dream was to become someone that was influential for something that had nothing to do with the economy.

He took another bite of his teriyaki chicken and turned to look at Itachi. The man's face was devoid of everything. If he was laying on the floor, one would think that he was dead. The only normal looking person was Mikoto, and even she looked like her forced smile was giving out. Scrutinizing the family for some more time, Naruto noticed that Sasuke's shoulders had begun to sag, probably from boredom.

A small smile made its way to the blond's face. If Sasuke was going to annoy him, he was going to return the favor.

Sasuke was bored. The food was great, but it wasn't enough to stop him from wanting to just leave. He looked up for a moment to notice his mother, who had cooked the meal herself. She gave him a reassuring smile, one that was genuine. One that told him to bear with them a little longer. The corner of his lip twitched in response as he looked back down and tried not to play with his food too much.

Listening to his brother talk about matters that concerned the future of Uchiha Corp. was a foreign experience for Sasuke. Itachi's voice maintained its level even when he disagreed with something the Namikaze said. He let his mind drift off to other subjects as he kept his attention away from the blond idiot.

He couldn't believe the dumbass was even here. Sure, he knew Minato had a son, but he didn't expect it to be Naruto. He knew he had a point, though. Naruto and Minato did not have the same last name. For a second he wondered if Naruto was adopted, but quickly shot the idea down. Naruto looked similar to the man that was currently talking to Sasuke's own father, which meant that the two had to be related.

A hard kick to his leg caused Sasuke to withdraw it immediately and wince in pain, before sending a glare to the offender. God, he could already tell that Naruto had some experience in soccer. His action wasn't missed by Itachi, who narrowed his eyes slightly.

Naruto had a smug look on his face as he watched Sasuke attempt to keep himself composed. He thought about the famous quote that came from Hammurabi's code, or something else. Naruto really had no clue. _An eye for an eye_ , he voiced inside of his head as Sasuke continued to scowl.

 _Pay attention, Uchiha_ , he mouthed.

Sasuke looked around hesitantly before answering. _Shut up, dobe._

_I'm not even saying anything! And who the hell are you calling a dobe?_

That earned a small smirk from the Uchiha. _You, idiot._

_You teme! I'm not an idiot!_

Sasuke's face quickly dropped into an unreadable expression when he realized how ridiculous the two of them looked. He decided to kick Naruto back instead of replying, deeming the blond's statement unworthy of a response.

Naruto let out a quiet grunt that wasn't missed by Tsunade, whose head turned to face him with a wary expression. She was hoping it wouldn't continue, but she was proven wrong when similar sounds began to escape from the other family's youngest son. Variations of "ouch" and grimaces came from both boys as the attacks against each other began to escalate.

Both Naruto and Sasuke were now kicking at each other with all their might while doing their best to not be noticed by the others, in which they were clearly failing. Naruto could already imagine all of the bruises he and Sasuke were going to gain from the brutal blows they were sending towards each other.

A particular kick at an already battered area on his leg made him cry out in pain. He blushed deeply in embarrassment while Sasuke paled. It was his first time seeing Sasuke so tense.

Everyone's head was turned in the blonde's direction, and he needed to come up with an excuse. Fast. Sure, he could tell them the truth and tell them that Sasuke had kicked him at the expense of him kicking Sasuke, but by the look on Sasuke's face, it probably wasn't a good option.

"Naruto? Is... Something wrong?" Minato asked, a worried expression crossing his face.

"Ah...," he began, unable to think. "I- well, sorry about that. The food is just too good!" He laughed nervously as he felt himself shrink into his seat.

Mikoto beamed at the Uzumaki. "Thank you! I cooked it myself."

Naruto's eyebrows were raised to his hairline, forgetting his previous embarrassment. "Really? That's amazing! You did an amazing job."

Sasuke sighed softly in relief. He was lucky Naruto wasn't a total idiot, and that he had charisma. He turned to look at his father and Itachi, who weren't facing him. A breath he didn't know he had been holding in was let out from his lips as he turned back to face Naruto.

The hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood as he felt a hand wrap itself around his forearm and gripping it tightly. It was Itachi's. Sasuke shot a condescending glower towards him and attempted to yank his arm away, but his clutch only seemed to get tighter. Alarm flooded his nerves as he felt his blood pulse heavily through his arm.

"Let go of me," he whispered, unheard by the rest of the room due to the commotion.

Itachi's eyes narrowed even further. "What were you asked to do earlier?"

Sasuke's expression became crestfallen as shame spread through him. He still stubbornly kept his lips shut. He wasn't going to be afraid of his brother anymore.

"I said, let go of me."

Itachi finally obliged, letting Sasuke's arm fall down onto his lap. "Our future depends on this dinner, otouto. I'm doing this for your sake."

 _My sake, my ass._ Sasuke rolled his eyes and turned his gaze to Minato, who was now talking to his own father about a partnership. He noticed a smirk play on Fugaku's lips. This must have been his goal, then, since everybody knew that Fugaku Uchiha simply did not just smile.

* * *

_"So it went well?"_

"Yes, but no!"

_"So it didn't do well."_

"No, but yes!"

Naruto groaned as he hung backwards from the edge of his bed. He was currently on the phone with a puzzled Kiba.

 _"Dude, you're making zero sense right now,"_ his best friend's muffled voice piped from across the line.

"If you were there, you'd understand," Naruto mumbled as he ran his free hand through his hair. "It was just so weird! And awkward. I can't believe today even happened."

_"Y'know, maybe the Uchiha'll bother you less now that you saved his ass. It's not all that bad."_

Naruto nodded mutely, even though Kiba couldn't see him, and flipped himself so that he was now seated properly. "We didn't even talk to each other. Not once."

_"How? Didn't you say you guys started kicking each other because he called you an idiot?"_

"Well, yeah, but he didn't actually say it. We were talking, but without our voices."

Kiba laughed, his voice echoing through Naruto's head. _"Say, Naruto, have you ever even heard the guy's voice before?"_

Naruto tried to remember, but only thought of two occasions. "Yeah, twice. I guess he just doesn't talk much."

The two continued to converse before Naruto finally put his phone down and placed his arms behind his head to lay down on his back. His legs were battered due to a certain brooding teenager. The two families had sat down for tea after the meal, and it had gone fairly well. The two CEOs agreed to a partnership, so that meant things wouldn't end up going wrong for either company.

At some point during the night his mind wandered back to Mikoto's comment about Kushina. Were they friends? Did they know each other? Or did the dark haired woman only know of his mom? He recalled the sorrowful look in her eyes when she mentioned his late mother. He figured the answer to his question was probably one of the first two suggestions.

He thought of Itachi, who always seemed to keep Naruto on his toes. Something about the stunning man kept him on edge. The blond's cheeks were tinted a light pink when he realized how good Sasuke had looked as well.

Naruto's sexuality wasn't a sensitive subject, but it wasn't often brought up either. He'd just never felt the need to announce it to everyone. If someone asked, he'd tell them he was bisexual, but otherwise he'd stay silent about it. Of course, all of his close friends knew, and they were all supportive of it.

He briefly wondered what Sasuke's sexuality was before he shook his head and crossed his arms. The asshole didn't seem like he was even capable of loving anyone. Naruto was curious to know what exactly had gone down during Sasuke's and Sakura's relationship now, but he knew it would be rude to ask.

He yawned and checked the time. A couple of hours had passed, so he decided to focus on his extra credit assignment for the time being.

* * *

Sasuke watched as Naruto walked inside of the classroom, seeming less energetic than usual. As always, a hoard of girls crowded around Naruto, acting like they were friends with him as he walked towards his seat. Sasuke kept his hand occupied with a little piece of orange paper, folding it into a triangular shape while Naruto plopped his bag between them and slumped down in his seat. Sasuke remained silent as Naruto yawned and slouched towards his desk, resting his head on his palm and seemingly examining Sasuke's face closely.

He raised an eyebrow and decided to just spit out the words he'd been meaning to say since last night. Licking his lips and turning away, Sasuke mumbled a quick sentence of gratitude to the blond. Naruto suddenly perked up, as if Sasuke's appreciation piqued his curiosity. The blond immediately smirked and raised his hand to cup his ear.

"What was that? I couldn't quite hear you."

He furrowed his eyebrows as he glared daggers towards his undeserving desk. "I _said-_...I said, thank you for doing that, yesterday.." He trailed off, not really knowing exactly how to make the sentence sound.

Naruto grinned. He didn't know why he felt a small burst of triumph when he heard Sasuke acknowledge him with more than one word, but it happened. "No problem, though I'm not apologizing for kicking you."

"Tch, then neither will I."

A blond eyebrow twitched in response. "You're the one who tripped me first, ya know?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and smirked as he paused his music to get a clear look at Naruto, whose eyes widened slightly at the sight of Sasuke smiling, even if it was because of his arrogance.

"You smacked me while I was half naked."

"I apologized, teme!" Naruto exclaimed as he took the paper that Sasuke was currently holding in his hands. "What's this?"

Sasuke snatched it back and threw it into his pencil case. "None of your business."

"And here I thought we were beginning to get along."

Sasuke scoffed. Getting along? All they've been doing was arguing. Unlike Naruto, who seemed to have quite the amount of friends and acquaintances, Sasuke kept his circle small.

In actuality, it was nonexistent, aside from Itachi's friends who often came to bother him whenever he got to stay at their place. He opened his mouth to reply with a harsh statement but was cut off by the sound of music filling the room.

He and Naruto turned to look at the front of the room, where Kakashi began to play _Sunflower_ by Post Malone. Naruto grinned while Sasuke straightened up in his seat, content with the song choice. No one had anything negative to say about that song. A particular lyric caused Sasuke to focus his gaze slightly on the blond.

He kind of did resemble a sunflower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shorter chapter today. School's been pretty stressful recently, can't wait for winter break. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Aw, the emotionally constipated emo's telling me to focus on my grades, I'm touched."

Two weeks had passed since the two of them had finally had their first real conversation. Bickering was common for Naruto and Sasuke, but that was to be expected. Namikaze Tech and Uchiha Corp were now running a stable partnership, which meant both companies were able to keep their positions as two of the most promising corporations in the nation.

Sasuke placed his textbook in his drawer and sat at his desk, pulling out some colored paper and yawning. He didn't know what Naruto's deal was. Sure, it infuriated him, but it was also a source of entertainment he didn't know he truly needed. A small smirk crossed his face as he pulled out a bright orange piece of paper. He wondered what kind of antics the blond would pull tomorrow.

A light rap came from his door, prompting him to swing his head around to see who was there. 

"Come in," he muttered. A head popped in before a complete body entered, revealing his distant cousin, Shisui.

"Hey, Sas!"

"Shisui!" Sasuke spun around in his chair to meet eyes with the lawyer-in-training. Shisui smiled, his eyes turning into arcs and crinkling the skin around them.

"How've you been? How's school back in Konoha?"

Sasuke brushed a hair from his face and watched Shisui take a seat on the bed. He hadn't seen his relative since last Christmas, where the entire family would have a gathering at the Uchiha Compound in the countryside. 

"It's been okay. I'm getting used to how they teach here."

"That's good, that's good. Say, have you made any friends? Any girl I should know about?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. Friends and girls were the last things on his mind. "No. How's law school been for you?" He asked, Shisui snorting at the fact that he quickly had changed the subject.

"It's been great, I've met lots of good people there. I think I've also found someone who could mentor me."

Sasuke raised his eyebrows as he became preoccupied with folding the orange paper with his pale hands. Shisui meeting new people was to be expected. The 23 year old was quite social, unlike the rest of the family. However, he knew when he needed to put on the face of indifference and become reserved when he needed to. 

"Say, Sasuke... You say you haven't met girls," Shisui paused, smirking at the youngest Uchiha with a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. "What about boys? Have you met a boy?"

Sasuke's head jolted upwards as pink creeped to his cheeks, a bewildered expression on his face. Why did Shisui have to embarrass him like this? He willed the blush to leave his face and stared down at the folded piece of paper. "No.. I haven't," he cleared his throat. ".. met a boy either. I told you, I'm not interested in that kind of stuff."

"What, you're not interested in men?"

"No! I'm not interested with anyone... At the moment."

Shisui laughed. He loved to fluster his little relative whenever he got the chance. He could also tell how Sasuke still had yet to come to terms with his own sexuality, which was completely fine.

"What's going on here?" 

The two of them turned around to see Itachi, who was standing at the doorway. Shisui smiled and motioned for Itachi, who wore a passive expression, to come over to them.

"Just catching up with my favorite angsty teenager."

"I'm not angsty."

"Sure you aren't," Shisui teased.

Itachi stood there, looking kind of out of place. The long-haired Uchiha was not accustomed to being social like Shisui, so he liked to stay invisible most of the time.

"So, Itachi, I heard you're going to a birthday party on the tenth."

"Yes, I am. Nagato invited me."

Sasuke perked up. He hadn't heard from Nagato or any of Itachi's friends in a while. He wondered what they were up to. He absentmindedly listened to what the older two were talking about while continuing his origami piece, which was slowly beginning to take form. Black eyes wandered off as he thought about what his room in the Akatsuki's mansion was looking like at the moment. Were they cleaning it?

The Akatsuki was a group consisting of Itachi and all of his friends from high school. They seemed to hold a very tight bond and always hung out with each other. The thought of Itachi ever becoming friends with anyone always puzzled Sasuke, but they spoiled him so he didn't mind it. Akatsuki was a strange name for a group of friends, but he didn't really care.

_Itachi's going to a party, huh? I guess it would be good if he loosened up a bit._

Unbeknownst to him, a certain cousin of Nagato's would be present as well.

* * *

"Naruto! Naruto Naruto _Naruto--_ "

"Shut up!"

Kiba groaned. "Please! A Jurassic themed party would be amazing!"

Sakura grimaced while Naruto gaped. 

"No, it wouldn't! Plus, haven't you already had enough Jurassic themed parties anyway, Kiba?" Naruto asked.

"You could never have enough Jurassic World."

"Yes, you could," Gaara retorted.

Naruto grinned and turned to look at his red-haired friend. His eyes remained on Gaara's forehead, which he had recently tattooed. They didn't get to see Gaara as much as they did with each other, since he didn't go to their school. Instead, he went to Suna High along with his two siblings, a competitor of Konoha High.

Ino laughed and patted Gaara on the shoulder. "There you have it. The king has announced that Naruto will not be having a Jurassic themed birthday party."

Kiba groaned and facepalmed while Shikamaru remained on his phone, texting away with some person that the others had yet to determine the identity of. Shikamaru was always lazy about everything, so seeing him as focused as this was uncommon. Naruto decided to leave him alone for the time being.

"So, who else are you inviting? Apart from us, of course," Neji inquired politely.

"I had a couple relatives invite people they knew, and I invited all of my friends," he motioned towards everyone that was with him at the moment. "Even granny Tsunade's going to invite her grandma friends."

Ino squealed as she gave the blond a hug. "I'm so excited for you, Naruto! You're finally turning 16!" Naruto gave her a foxy grin and patted her in the back.

"Yep, I am!"

"Can't wait to give you birthday punches," Sakura snorted. She was pretty well known for hitting really, really hard. Her brute strength came from occasional classes with Tsunade during freshman and sophomore year of high school, and it was to be feared by everybody.

Everyone's attention was then brought to Gaara when he looked down and cleared his throat.

"Ah... Actually, I don't know if I could go."

"What? Why?!" They all asked with dejected looks on their faces, except for Naruto, who knew exactly why Gaara had said it.

"It's fine, Gaara, you don't have to worry about anything. I've got it all covered," he winked.

Gaara looked apprehensive before nodding hesitantly. "I guess I'm going then, thanks Naruto."

That earned a bright smile from the Uzumaki. He knew that Gaara did not own enough money to afford a nice gift, but gifts were nothing compared to his friends being there. Plus, a good thing about being filthy rich was that his dad could pretty much get him anything. A dark feeling spread in his stomach, likely guilt. He didn't like to think about the money he had when people lived like Gaara.

His red-haired friend currently lived in a small apartment with his two siblings. The three of them were orphaned and lived away from their previous foster parents that did not give a shit about them. They did everything they could to get by, and flat out refused Naruto's help. For a while, they had gone through a dark phase, and that was when Naruto had met him.

The amount of fights it had taken for Naruto, Neji, and Gaara to be in the same place was appalling, but it ended up being alright in the end. There was no other way he could have it.

* * *

After taking attendance, Kakashi Hatake watched as the last student sat down and opened their textbook to the page they were assigned to read. A yawn made its way out of him as he sat down on his chair and began typing away to a colleague of his. 

Out of the corner of his only eye, he noticed that Naruto and Sasuke were bickering again, and couldn't help but smile under his white cloth mask. They undeniably reminded him of himself and his old friend Obito. He closed his eye momentarily, blocking out the tragic memories and filtering them so that he would only think of the good ones. He turned his lazy gaze back to the screen, where he noticed a couple of new messages.

_And then I said fine since, you know, I tried to be as nice as I could_

_But then he started showing me all of these weird wire things and I started getting confused_

_Then I got even more confused and started to fuck everything up_

_And then- Kakashi?_

_You there?_

The silver haired teacher chuckled as he started some music for the class to listen to while working and typed an answer.

_I'm here, sorry. The school day just started._

_Oh! I'm so sorry! Let me know when your free period starts._

Kakashi blinked, attempting to type that he was free at the moment, but was cut off by the sight of Iruka being offline.

"That Iruka..." He muttered under his breath. Iruka Umino worried too much about other people for his own good. 

Sasuke noticed Kakashi's shift in attitude and smirked. The pervert was finally getting somewhere with that brown haired elementary school teacher he was talking about. Naruto eyed him with suspicion. "What are you smiling about?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I'm not smiling."

"You are! Your lips went up, which means you're smiling."

"They only twitched up, it doesn't mean I'm-"

"God, teme! Are you so angsty that you don't even know what smiling is?"

Sasuke made a noise of disapproval as he crossed his arms. "Why's everyone calling me that today?"

"What, teme?"

"N- ugh. Just do your work, dobe."

"Aw, the emotionally constipated emo's telling me to focus on my grades, I'm touched."

"Speaking of your grades, aren't you failing?"

Naruto blushed and looked away, sticking his nose up and pouting. "Who told you that?"

Sasuke snorted. "That paper you got some time ago said so."

A sigh came from Naruto as he broke his enthusiastic front and slumped over in his seat. 

"Yeah, I'm failing. If this keeps up, I'll lose my spot in the basketball team."

Sasuke huffed a breath out from his nostrils. Of course the blond was an athlete. There was no doubt, seeing as his team would always win during gym. Plus, his toned muscles were a clear giveaway as well. He pressed his finger against his desk, reducing and increasing the pressure as he pursed his lips in thought. A strange, timid look appeared on his face as he refused to meet Naruto's gaze.

"I can... Tutor you, if you want."

Naruto's eyes lit up like Christmas lights, almost jumping up from his seat. It was so unlike Sasuke to offer something like that, but it wasn't something to complain about. Sports was Naruto's life, and he couldn't afford to lose it.

"Really, _really_ _?_ You'd actually do that?"

"Yeah. I.. can."

"You're the best! Thank you so much!"

Sasuke turned his head away to face the window briefly before returning to face Naruto, wearing an unnatural mask of apathy. He didn't know why he made the offer, he just did. Now he couldn't take it back, so he just dumbly nodded.

"Hey.. Sasuke."

He looked at Naruto curiously. "Hm?"

"I- uh, I'm having a birthday party on the tenth. You can come, if you want."

Sasuke's eyes widened. It had been a very long time since he'd been to someone's birthday party that wasn't related to him. He snorted in amusement as he finished his last answer in the textbook. “I’m older than you.”

“No way! By how much?”

“Around two months and a half.”

Naruto made a ‘hm’ sound and stretched in his seat. He wondered what Sasuke would be like if he did come. In fact, he wondered if the Uchiha would come at all. Sasuke didn’t seem like the type of person to go to parties, but there was always room for hope. 

Naruto froze. Hope? Since when did he hope for more time with Sasuke?

As if on cue, Sasuke’s voice made it to his ears again. “I’ll come. To the party.”

The realization did not stop a grin from making its way to his face. “Sweet! Also,” he took out some paper and jotted down a line of numbers to hand to Sasuke. “Here.”

“What’s this?” Sasuke asked.

Naruto gave him an incredulous look. This kid seemed to be even dumber than him when it came to social skills. “It’s my number. I was thinking it would come in handy, with the tutoring and all… Plus, I need to give you my address, too.” 

Sasuke silently took the paper and eyed it for a second before burying it in his pocket along with his hand. 

“Alright, I’ll let you know when I’m free to tutor you. I’ll also need your schedule, since you probably have many things to do after school.”

Naruto smiled and nodded. “Great! I will.”

The bell rang as soon as he said that. Naruto stood up from his seat and waved at Sasuke before running out along with Shikamaru. Again, Sasuke stared after him dumbly before standing up slowly. Not only did he agree to tutor Naruto, he also got invited to a birthday party _and_ was given a number from someone who was his age and wasn’t related to him in any way.

From across the room, Kakashi sent Sasuke a knowing smirk and received a glare in response from the Uchiha. Once the rest of the class exited, Sasuke walked over to the gray haired man's desk.

"I see you're making friends," Kakashi pointed out.

"He's not my friend. He's just... an annoying classmate who talks too much."

Kakashi chuckled and reopened his laptop as his next class began to flood in. "Sure, sure. You'll understand soon enough."

* * *

The sounds of fingers slowly pressing down on a keyboard were beginning to annoy Naruto, who was sitting across from Kiba.

"No offense, Kiba, but I think you need some lessons on typing."

Kiba scoffed, tearing his eyes away from the screen and glaring at Naruto. "Just let me do this! I told you, I'm awesome at making invitations."

Shikamaru blew a raspberry as he leaned down to see the current Google Doc. Yawning, he scratched his forehead and stood back up. "Can't you just invite some person who knows how to do this stuff and make them do it for us?"

"Like who?" Naruto asked.

Sakura and Ino looked at each other before their eyes lit up. Their minds seemed to be harmonious by the way they always came up with the same ideas.

"What about Suigetsu Hozuki? From tech?" Ino suggested.

"Suigetsu? Oh yeah! He's pretty good with computers," Naruto mused.

While the others ran off to bring Suigetsu over to the graphic arts classroom, Kiba crossed his arms and sulked while Shikamaru continued to text away.

The others ended up returning along with a laid back, white haired student whose uniform was messed up in a way that led them to assume he was probably a troublemaker.

"So, you guys need help with invitations?"

"Yep! We were hoping you could make it look good," Naruto said.

"Pfft, of course I can! But there's a catch."

The others cautiously glanced at him while he laughed. "Chill! I only want me and my friends to be invited, nothing crazy."

"O- oh, uh, sure. How many friends?" Naruto asked tentatively.

"Just two. We haven't been to a party in a while."

Neji made a face as he recalled who he was talking about. Karin and Juugo. Suigetsu's little friend group was a group of mischief-makers that did all sorts of things. He wasn't going to lie, though, they managed to be smart enough to have people pay them to ruin other people's days.

"I guess that's fine, then." Naruto shrugged.

"Sweet!" Suigetsu smiled before taking Kiba's seat and getting to work. Kiba stormed over to the corner, where he attempted to peek at who Shikamaru was texting before getting pushed away.

Naruto sat there watching with a faraway look on his face. His thoughts poofed away in a cloud as he felt a vibration in his pocket. Grabbing his phone with his hand, he raised it up so that he could see what was up. He raised his eyebrows in confusion when he noticed he'd received a text.

_Hi._

_Send me your schedule._

Naruto chuckled. Of course the teme used punctuation. He sent Sasuke all of the details and waited for a moment before his eyes widened at how fast he created the tutoring hours. 

_jeez teme thats a lot of days_

_Obviously. Your grades need a lot of help._

Naruto rolled his eyes.

_smh fine,, see you on tuesday then_

He kept his eyes on the 'read' receipt before saving Sasuke’s contact. He smiled as he saved the name as _Teme,_ putting his phone away when he was finished. He didn't know why, but he felt excited to see Sasuke at the cafe. A glance at Sakura made Naruto feel horrible all of a sudden. Why was he becoming friends with the person who broke her heart? Naruto sighed. He decided that once he got closer to the Uchiha, he’d ask the questions.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Was all of this a joke to you?" Her voice finally broke. Everything that she had gone through with Sasuke just seemed to dissipate.
> 
> "It's never even crossed my mind."

Tuesday rolled around pretty quickly after that. Naruto's birthday was also creeping closer as well. He grinned with excitement as he left the car, waving to Kotetsu before walking to the cafe. 

As he expected, Sasuke was already there, reading a book and listening to music. Naruto strolled inside with his book bag hanging off his back before sitting in front of the pale boy, who finally noticed him as he sat down.

Sasuke pulled the headphones away from his ears and stuffed them into his messenger bag along with his book. "Hey."

"Hey," Naruto greeted. He noticed that Sasuke seemed to look a little awkward but took no note of it.

"Did you bring everything?"

"Yeah, yeah I did," Naruto said, digging into his own bag and pulling out a couple of books, large and small. He tossed them onto the table along with some paper and pencils. Sasuke passed Naruto the menu. 

"Order something."

Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion at the black haired teen in front of him before shrugging and taking the menu. He decided to go with a refresher, since coffee was not his cup of tea. Tea wasn't either, so he didn't choose that too. He looked up at Sasuke, who was already flipping through Naruto's textbooks. It was pretty strange to see Sasuke wearing casual clothing, but he figured he'd wear dark clothes anyway.

What Naruto was wearing was also pretty expected. He was wearing an orange hoodie, dark pants and sneakers. Common athletic wear, and that was because he was previously at basketball practice. A couple of minutes after the tutoring began, a beautiful waitress cleared her throat next to them. Naruto and Sasuke turned to look at her, and she smiled.

"Would you two like to order anything?"

"Yes," Sasuke replied. "A cup of oolong tea and a mango dragon fruit refresher, please."

The waitress blushed and nodded, recognizing which drink went to who in an instant. She ran off, squealing to her coworkers as Sasuke turned back to look at Naruto.

"Looks like someone has a crush on you," Naruto winked.

"What?" Sasuke asked.

"You surely can't be that dense, teme! She was practically drooling over you."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Stop changing the subject, you still have some more questions to do."

Naruto groaned and looked back at his paper. In truth, Sasuke's lessons were working wonders for him. He didn't know that someone could be such a good teacher without even saying much. As he finished the rest of his questions, he beamed and displayed his paper to Sasuke, who scanned it over with his eyes and nodded.

"All of them are right. I'm surprised."

Naruto cheered and held his paper up before sitting back down. "Aw yeah! I'm going to ace this test!"

A small smile crept its way to Sasuke's face. Naruto's smile was just so contagious. He tapped his nails on the dark oak table as he wrote down a few more questions and continued to explain the topic. Soon enough, the waitress was back with two cups on a tray. She set it down on the table and slipped a strip of paper on it. Before they could ask what it was, she blushed a deep red and ran off to the rest of the giggling waitresses. 

Sasuke turned to look at Naruto, who was stifling a laugh. "What?"

"Look at the paper."

The Uchiha picked it up cautiously and read the string of numbers written on it. He rolled his eyes as his cheeks tinted a light pink and threw it in Naruto's direction. "Shut up. How do you know it wasn't for you?"

"She was looking at you the whole time! Plus, you're not half bad to look at."

"I-" Sasuke paused. Did the blond just call him attractive? "Whatever. Just finish your work."

Naruto chuckled as he grabbed his cup and brought it to his mouth. The refresher actually tasted really good. It was during mid-sip when he realized that he had called Sasuke good looking. He looked back at Sasuke to see the older boy blowing at his drink before taking a small sip with both hands. He watched for a moment, tearing his gaze away afterwards.

What the hell was happening to him?

"Hey, Sasuke.. I've been meaning to ask you something."

"Hn?"

"What's that book you're always reading?"

Sasuke sent him a confused look before his eyes lit up in acknowledgement. "Oh," he dug into his bag to pick up his book. "This?"

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto shifted, tilting his head to catch the name of it.

"It's Kill Shot. From the Vince Flynn series... It's the second book, if you're interested in it I can let you borrow the first one."

"Really, really? You'd do that?" Naruto beamed.

Sasuke looked away and nodded. "Yeah..."

Naruto gave him a genuine smile with closed eyes. "Thanks, teme."

"Tch, I let you borrow my book and you still call me that?"

"Hey, you should already know I use it as a nickname now."

Sasuke paused. Nicknames? Since when were they close enough to use nicknames? He guessed if they were meeting up with each other like this outside of school it would lead the blond to think they were well acquainted with each other. He ignored the giddiness rising from his stomach and pushed the textbook in Naruto's direction.

"Now study. Don't slack, moron."

"Got it, sensei!"

* * *

Naruto paced around in anticipation, waiting for his name to be called. He desperately wanted his tutoring sessions with Sasuke to be worth it. Juugo, his teammate on the basketball team, watched him with a worried look on his face.

"Naruto, don't worry. I'm sure you did fine."

"I'm failing, Juugo. I need perfect scores to get my grades as high as I can."

Juugo smiled reassuringly and patted Naruto on the back. Naruto knew the athlete wasn't a talkative person so he didn't mind the quiet. A minute or two later, Naruto's name was called and he sprung out of his seat and jogged over to his history teacher, Asuma. Asuma laughed heartily as he handed Naruto his paper.

"Good job, Naruto. Usually you get 60s in my class but this time you managed to raise it to an 85," he paused, letting Naruto take a look at the page. "I curved it upwards to a 90, think of it as a reward for your effort."

The blond grinned and continued to stare at his paper in disbelief. "I can't believe it! Thanks Asuma sensei!" 

He practically skipped back to his seat in joy. Juugo was sitting there with a small smile on his face while his eyes followed Naruto's actions. Naruto mentally reminded himself to thank Sasuke for everything later. A 90 wasn't 100, but it was still amazing that his score went up so fast.

The bell rang when the period ended, and he was excited to let his friends know about it. The period was lunch now, and Naruto couldn't be bothered to be inside of the cafeteria. He pulled out his cell phone and texted the others that he'd be outside, to which they replied that they'd be going as well.

The air was crisp and refreshing, a sign of autumn. He sat down on a bench near the far side of the school. He was glad that Konoha High allowed students to exit during lunch, because the lunch there wasn't all that appetizing. Naruto couldn't even believe that lunch had to be paid for!

Soon enough, his friends arrived, but they didn't seem all too happy. Most of them, at least. Neji's face was still inscrutable and Shikamaru probably thought the entire thing was just a drag.

"Hey guys! I have something awesome to show you-"

"Save it, Naruto."

Naruto stopped, taken aback by the venom in Sakura's voice. Was she angry? What did he do? Countless accusations made their way through his head but he couldn't find an answer. His face remained quizzical as he waited for her to elaborate.

Ino was next to speak. "We're sure you had a lot of fun during your date."

Naruto furrowed his blond brows. Now he was really confused. "What date? I'm not dating anybody, and why would you care if I did?"

Shikamaru sighed and rolled his eyes, facing away from the commotion. He really didn't want to deal with any drama. Taking that as his cue to speak, Neji looked at Naruto.

"They mean Sasuke," he piped up.

Naruto's eyes widened in recognition. They must have been talking about their session in the cafe! 

... Since when had they seen them?

"O- oh, haha," he chuckled in embarrassment and scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, he was tutoring me. I was actually going to show you guys my 90."

That earned a look of bewilderment from Kiba while the others kept their facial expressions rigid. Sakura's face bothered Naruto the most. He didn't like the way she looked so betrayed.

"Naruto... You know you could have asked anyone else, right? I would have been down to help you," Sakura started carefully.

"I- well, yeah, but he offered. And hey, it's working so far. See?" He showed her his paper once again, but was met with disapproving looks from everyone else. Was he missing something?

Ino was unnaturally silent as her face remained pensive.

"I don't think you're getting it," she finally said.

"Getting what?"

"The severity of what Sasuke did."

Naruto's eyes widened to the size of saucers. He completely forgot! He'd been so wrapped up in trying to get the male to warm up to him that he forgot to remember that Sasuke had cheated on Sakura like that. He wanted to say it wasn't his fault, because it was so easy to blame everyone else, but he knew he was in the wrong.

"Oh. Oh..."

Ino sighed. "Sorry, Naruto. I guess it wasn't fair that we didn't tell you the entire story. None of this must make sense for you."

Naruto knitted his brows as he settled down and sat to listen as everyone did the same. 

"Story?"

Ino nodded while Sakura looked away. Even Shikamaru looked troubled as his leg began to bounce up and down. Naruto waited for the blonde to elaborate as he crossed his arms. He wanted to know their side of the story.

* * *

_It was summer in Konoha City, and middle schoolers were scattering away from Konoha Academy. Friend groups went their separate ways as they walked in the directions of their homes. A familiar head of black hair caught Sakura's eyes, causing her to run in his direction._

_"Hey Sasuke!" Sakura chirped as she made her way to hold his hand._

_Sasuke's face was expressionless, but he managed to greet her and return the gesture._

_"So, it's almost your birthday... I know you're not a fan of celebrating, but I still want you to be happy on it."_

_Sasuke gave her a puzzled look as she continued._

_"Maybe we could go on a date! A special one..." She trailed off._

_"Okay."_

_"R- really?!" She cried. She couldn't believe it! Sasuke was always one to refuse, so him agreeing like this was new to her._

_"Yeah," he answered after a moment._

_She giggled before resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm so excited for you, you have no idea. You're finally turning 13!"_

_Sasuke stiffened slightly, still unused to the contact even after two and a half years. Sakura noticed this, becoming a bit insecure as she pulled her head back and walked beside him._

_"Yeah... I am."_

_She beamed beautifully and brushed through her pink hair as soft winds blew their hair back and forth. Sasuke had always been this way... Cold and distant, but she knew there was something in him that made him appreciate her._

_The black haired boy walked her home, where they shared their last kiss for the day and parted ways. Sakura skipped to her bed and giggled as she brought the pink flower shaped piece of paper that Sasuke had folded to her chest. She was ecstatic to spend the rest of her life with him, and hoped that he felt the same._

_Her mom then came in to remind her of her chores, which she gladly accepted if it meant she could see Sasuke for as long as she wanted._

_She had always liked him ever since they met in the hospital when they were seven. Sasuke was sitting on a bench, folding paper while she waited for her parents to take her home after they visited her grandma. They hadn't talked, but she knew of him since Ino always talked about him. Ino had a massive crush on him, and she instantly understood why._

_There was something so different, so attractive about Sasuke that no one could refuse to spend time with him. She continued to finish her chores and homework and continued to stay with him for a while._

_Everyone thought of them as the perfect couple. The two most good looking and popular kids at the school, with the best grades and apparent lives, were all set for marriage. They were almost picture perfect..._

_Almost._

_One day, Sakura walked past the lockers, ready to see Sasuke when she heard whispers about her coming from a different direction. Two random girls, girls she had never even met were talking about her and Sasuke. She stopped, and peered intently from the side of her eye, listening closely as they spoke._

_"I can't believe it."_

_"She and Sasuke were such a good couple too.."_

_"With Ino?"_

_Sakura's heart was pounding against her ribcage now. What was going on? Why were people talking about her, Sasuke, and Ino? A churning feeling came to her stomach as she dashed through the hallways. She didn't want to acknowledge the suggestions her brain was giving her._

_Soon enough, she reached Ino, who watched her cautiously. "Sakura... Before you say anything-"_

_"What the hell is going on? What's everyone talking about?!"_

_"- I just want to say I'm sorry about you and Sasuke."_

_..._

_"Wh- what?" Sakura's voice almost cracked, but she managed to keep it level._

_"I.. Sasuke told me everything. I know you two wanted to keep it a secret, but..."_

_"Keep what a secret?! What the hell is going on?" Sakura repeated._

_Ino looked away guiltily. "That you two... broke up. He said he had to let me know, since.. since..."_

_Sakura felt her heart shatter into itty bitty pieces. It wasn't at the fact that Sasuke had broken up with her, even though that broke her heart in a way nothing else could. It was because Sasuke had kept all of this from her. For Ino, her best friend._

_"Ino..." She began, a darkness like no other appearing on her face._

_Ino looked away. "I'm sorry. You know I've.. Always liked him, and I'm sure it doesn't bother you since it's been a while since you two bro-"_

_"Don't say it," she spat, her eyes betraying her action as tears leaked from them. Ino opened her mouth, but Sakura cut her off._

_"I don't know if this is real or some sick joke you guys are playing. If it is one, then fuck, you'd better end it now."_

_Ino looked down to her feet. "I just don't understand, Sakura. You two broke up a while ago so I don't get why you're so upset-"_

_"I said don't say it!" Sakura yelled._

_The blonde girl winced at the volume and stepped back. She didn't understand what Sakura's problem was since Sasuke had told her that the two of them were no longer dating. She didn't want this to come between her friendship with Sakura, though, so she looked up at the red faced girl in front of her with tearful eyes._

_"I'm sorry! If you want me to break up with him... Fine. I just.. He said that you two were over and you just seemed so happy recently so I figured..."_

_"I was happy because I was preparing shit for his birthday! No one told me anything about us breaking up! He and I literally kissed like two days ago!"_

_Ino's eyes widened at her statement. "... What?"_

_They stood looking at each other with shock evident on their faces. They both seemed to be missing parts of what really happened._

_"But Sasuke... He told me..."_

_Sakura stepped back once, then twice, and spun on her heel before running off to find Sasuke. Ino shouted her name and ran after her as anger surged through her body. She wasn't going to let Sasuke hurt her any more than he had already. Passers stopped to check out what was causing the commotion._

_Sasuke was in the lunchroom with girls crowding around him. They seemed to know all about his supposed break up with Sakura. The two girls were about to storm over when Shikamaru made his way over to them._

_"The hell is happening?"_

_"Not now, Shika."_

_Shikamaru stood back next to Choji, who had a concerned look on his face. They had also heard about the break up, but it just made no sense to them. Sasuke and Sakura were just fine a couple of days ago._

_Sakura made her way past the girls, who noticed her and stepped back to see what was going to happen now that both Sakura and Ino were there. As expected, Sasuke was sitting there with his eyes glued to his phone, obviously not paying attention._

_"Sasuke Uchiha," Sakura seethed, anger bubbling up slowly but surely as he turned his head to face her._

_"What?"_

_"Stand up." He looked up at her, a strange, dazed look on his face as he faced her. He stayed put, watching her face turn even redder._

_"I said, stand up." The serious looks on each of their faces were what made him comply. He wasn't exactly looking to start anything. He stood silent as he waited for them to speak._

_"What the fuck is your problem?" Ino began. "Who do you think you are, starting that kind of shit with us?"_

_"I don't know what you're talking about."_

_Sakura scoffed and glared at him. "Well, let's start with us breaking up. Without me even knowing."_

_A strange look appeared on Sasuke's face, but it was replaced with indifference a second after._

_"I didn't-"_

_"Don't lie to me!" Sakura shrieked, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. Sasuke was obviously uncomfortable now, he still wasn't used to being the subject of curiosity._

_The lunchroom was quiet now, everyone kept their gazes on the three figures that were causing a commotion._

_"I can't believe this, what the hell is wrong with you?! I was preparing for your birthday, your fucking birthday restlessly, and you pull this shit while I'm not looking?!"_

_"You really thought this was going to work, Uchiha?" Ino spat. "Sakura and I are best friends. As if I'd let you cheat on her, much less with me."_

_Some gasps were heard from girls and boys alike. No one would have expected that. Sure, Sasuke was a bit of a troublemaker, but cheating just didn't seem like something he'd do._

_"I wouldn't cheat on her if I wasn't dating her to begin with."_

_The words barely registered in her head as Sakura brought her hand across his face, the sound of a loud smack bouncing off the walls and into everyone's ears. Sasuke fell back on his chair, stunned. Tears streamed down Sakura's face. She didn't want to hear any more from him._

_"Was all of this a joke to you?" Her voice finally broke. Everything that she had gone through with Sasuke just seemed to dissipate._

_"It's never even crossed my mind."_

* * *

Naruto's face was sullen as Ino neared the ending of her narrative. He couldn't believe that Sasuke had really done that, and from what he was hearing, he and Sakura's relationship had already seemed strained before the break up. Or... Whatever it was.

"Sasuke moved a couple of weeks after that. No one really knew what happened until the news announced that Uchiha Corp's headquarters was being rebuilt in Kyoto," said Shikamaru.

"I... wow," Naruto didn't know what to say. All of this new information about Sasuke confused him. Was Sasuke good or bad? His brain shouted at him that he was bad, but his heart wanted to continue trying to get the black haired Uchiha to accept him.

Sakura sighed. "We're not saying that you have to stay away from him at all costs, it's just-" she paused before adding, "we want you to be careful around him."

Naruto nodded dumbly and looked down. "You mentioned that he was some sort of troublemaker. What did you mean?"

Neji shifted, standing up a second later as the bell rang. "Eh, he was pretty much the resident bad boy of the Academy. It's pretty shocking how he managed to do all that and still get good grades."

Shikamaru snorted. "Not really, everyone knows he got a free pass 'cause no one wanted to go against his dad. Plus, it was entertaining to see him call a bunch of girls ugly."

Naruto smiled softly. Of course Sasuke would do something like that. The smile quickly faded when he remembered Sakura's warning.

A couple of minutes later, the group split up and went in their own directions. Naruto clasped his hands behind his head as he walked to the back door. His class was near it, so it was easier to enter from there. What he wasn't expecting was to see Sasuke with a smoky cigarette in his hand. 

"Sasuke?"

Sasuke didn't hear him, his attention was currently directed to his book and music was blaring loudly in his ears. Naruto grimaced when he realized that even he could hear the muffled music, even though the earbuds weren't even in his own ears. He tapped Sasuke on the shoulder, earning a flinch from the teen.

Sasuke eyed Naruto before pulling the buds from his ears and raising an eyebrow.

"What?"

Naruto frowned. "You know that's bad for you, right?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and took another drag. "Whatever. It's none of your business."

"Jeez, the least you could do is thank me for worrying."

"There's no point. It's not like I was forced to do it."

His lips twisted as he brought his hands to his sides. "You should probably stop. You'll die of lung cancer."

"Everyone dies at some point."

"Ugh, you make things so difficult, you know that?" 

Sasuke rolled his eyes and dropped the cancer stick on the floor before stepping on it and pressing it into the ground. "That sounds like something you should sort with yourself. Also-" He reached into his bag and pulled out a rectangular object and handed it to Naruto.

"Here."

Naruto's face lit up. It was the book! Sasuke had actually remembered to let him borrow it. "Gee, Sasuke, thanks."

"Mhm, now go to class."

"Teme! What about you?"

"It's my free period."

Naruto quieted for a moment and looked at Sasuke. He didn't want the raven to continue killing himself slowly, so he inhaled and grasped Sasuke's arm.

"Walk with me. I want to show you something."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a long chapter. Well, I hope it did well in explaining more about the past! Again, I hope whoever reading this is smart enough to understand the warnings for this work. Not much has happened now, and I'm not sure if it will, but if anything does happen, that's why the warnings are there. So please be smart about this and be careful.
> 
> (Also, if anyone wants to read this on FFN, it's there under the username honeybunaddict.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You know, I substituted your brother's class for a couple of months. He was just like how you are now, he knew everything he needed to know in advance."

Sasuke didn't know why he agreed to walk with the blond haired idiot, but he did. Naruto seemed to be excited about something, but he also kept some space away from the raven. Sasuke briefly wondered if something was wrong, but he kept quiet. 

Naruto's classroom was a couple of feet away, so the two of them stopped to wait for Naruto to pull out whatever he wanted to show Sasuke.

"Okay, so..." He dug into his bag and pulled out his test. "Ta da! A 90!"

Sasuke's mouth opened slightly and took the paper in his hands. A 90 was outstanding for someone like Naruto, who could barely focus in a single class. He read through it and smirked when he noticed that Naruto had used some of the basic methods that Sasuke had taught him.

"Wow, I didn't.. expect results this fast."

"I know right? Thank you so much for helping me out, Sasuke-bastard."

Sasuke rolled his eyes in amusement. He knew now that Naruto's nicknames for him were just that. Nicknames. It caused a whirling feeling in his stomach that he couldn't quite name, but he decided that he liked it.

"Sasuke-bastard? You just love to use nicknames, huh?"

"Shut up and just accept my gratitude, asshole!"

The black haired teen smirked as a short huff of air was exhaled through his nose. "Fine. You're welcome."

Naruto flashed a grin in his direction and pushed the crumpled piece of paper into his bag. Sasuke's eyes were a bit warmer than usual as he observed Naruto's pride in himself. 

Soon enough, the late bell rang and Naruto waved, running off to his next class. Sasuke stood in the hallway and decided to take a stroll around the school. He wasn't really new anymore, everyone was beginning to get used to him as this was pretty much almost his third week of school. He noticed the awards on display and decided to check them out.

Pictures of teams and individuals were arranged neatly on the shelves. A lot of them were frames of Itachi when he was younger. He had the same expression in every one of those pictures, a passive, yet cold and detached look as he held up his award. Itachi was a very good actor, but his only flaw was that Sasuke could see through every one of his facades. All of a sudden, Sasuke felt lightheaded and nauseated, and ripped his gaze away from the glass.

An image of Naruto replaced Itachi's, which caught Sasuke off guard. His eyes widened at the fact that he was now getting closer to the blond, which caused a thrill to rush through his being. Was he making a friend? He didn't know if he felt a thrill of excitement or terror, so he figured it was both.

An uncertain feeling also made its way to him. What if something went wrong? Why was he even thinking of the blond? His heart began to beat a little faster than usual as Sasuke flushed. He blamed the sensation on him being high and walked to an empty art room, where three people sat laughing with each other.

The hot-pink haired girl was the first to notice him standing by the door. The other two noticed right after she did, and turned to look at him as well.

"Say, Karin, isn't that your-"

"Shut the fuck up!" The girl, Karin, punched the white haired guy in the face without hesitation. The white haired boy grunted in pain.

"Calm down, you two," the tall, broad shouldered male sitting beside them gave Sasuke a welcoming look. "Are you lost?"

"Uh.. No. I'm just looking for a place to kill time in."

The white haired kid smirked and jumped off the desk he was sitting atop and walked over to Sasuke, patting him on the shoulder.

"Well, you can join us if you want. I'm Suigetsu."

Sasuke gave Suigetsu a hesitant look before allowing himself to be led over to the other three. Karin's face was as pink as her hair as he took a seat a foot or so away from her. Suigetsu gave her a knowing smirk and sat next to Sasuke.

"So, you're Sasuke Uchiha, right?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Nice meeting you, these two are Karin and Juugo. Karin's a crazy bitch, but she's smart, and Juugo's actually pretty chill unless you get on his bad side. Then he'll go batshit insane."

Karin shot Suigetsu a vicious look while Juugo shrugged. Suigetsu's description of them was actually pretty spot on.

Sasuke nodded and pulled out his book and some paper. Suigetsu leaned behind him to check it out. "So, Sasuke, tell us a bit about yourself."

"No." Sasuke replied flatly.

Suigetsu grinned while the other two also smiled in their own ways. "I like you. Unfiltered and straight to the point." 

Karin rolled her eyes, though they held no malice behind them. "Chill out, Sui. He clearly doesn't want to be around us."

Sasuke paid no attention to what the others were babbling on about. So far, they didn't seem that bad, but he was still adamant on remaining unknown and alone. He gave Juugo a quick glance. He decided that he was content with the orange haired teenager. Juugo noticed that Sasuke was looking at him, but he didn't start any conversation. Sasuke wondered how he became friends with the other two.

"Say, Sasuke."

He turned to Suigetsu, who had a wicked grin on his face. "Do you think Karin's hot?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and went back to burying his nose in his book while Karin shrieked and continued to smack the shit out of Suigetsu, who laughed and dodged whenever he could. Sasuke ended up getting annoyed at the noise and stood up, silently leaving as the others watched. 

The raven didn't want to screw up and become acquainted with any more people. Friendships were unnecessary and started unnecessary drama, and he'd already made a mistake by becoming acquainted with Naruto. He scowled as he dragged himself to the library. He wondered why he hadn't thought of going there first.

As soon as he reached the library, Sasuke's eyes widened when he realized he'd left his messenger bag in the art room. Damn it! Sasuke couldn't believe he'd made such a careless mistake. He sighed and walked back downstairs, stopping every once in a while to script out what he'd do. He noticed that Kakashi was walking with his eyes glued to his phone. That earned a smirk from Sasuke, who knew exactly who the silver haired teacher was talking to.

"Oi, Kakashi."

Kakashi's head jerked up as he clearly typed an excuse to leave to Iruka and shoved his phone in his pocket. "Sasuke, hey."

"Who was that? Your _boyfriend_?"

Kakashi chuckled and rolled his eye. "No. Well, not yet at least."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "You're thinking of asking him out?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure. He's clearly got the hots for me, so most likely."

Sasuke smirked, remembering Iruka's face vividly flushing whenever he was next to Kakashi. He opened his mouth to tease Kakashi, but was cut off by an embarrassing question.

"What about you? Are you thinking about dating a certain blond?"

"What the fuck, Hatake! No, you pervert."

"Hey, language. And I'm just saying, you two argue like a married couple."

Sasuke flushed and turned away. "Shut up. We're not even friends, and I would rather die than be friends with that moron."

Kakashi ruffled Sasuke’s hair, messing up the way he'd fixed his dark hair that morning. Sasuke scowled and pulled his head away from the adult. Kakashi was too weird sometimes, but he guessed it was okay. 

But him and Naruto? Sasuke wondered where he got that from. Kakashi waved and broke Sasuke out of his thoughts, telling him he had to be somewhere. Sasuke nodded and continued to walk towards the art room when he heard a loud shout.

"Juugo! No!"

A crash along with loud thumps could be heard from the hallway to the left, and Sasuke sped to see what was going on. Sure enough, Juugo stood there, pinning some kid onto the wall. Before anyone could say anything, the smaller, unfortunate guy got body slammed onto the hard floor. Karin and Suigetsu were behind him, failing to calm him down.

Sasuke was unable to sneak past them to get his items, but he didn't want to interfere. His body was already at risk by being feet away from the seemingly berserk male. 

Before he could do anything, Juugo's eyes settled on him. Sasuke stood there, frozen. Juugo's expression was wild and out of control. It reminded Sasuke of himself when he went through his hating-Itachi-to-the-point-of-wanting-to-kill phase. Yeah, Sasuke's anger levels towards Itachi during middle school were through the roof. He remembered the stares his older brother would give him that frightened him enough to calm down.

Sasuke took in a deep breath and looked into Juugo's eyes, doing his best to mimic Itachi. If this worked, he decided that he wouldn't complain about Itachi for the rest of the day. Or two days, depending on how it went. 

Juugo's body shockingly remained still as he met eyes with Sasuke. Sasuke breathed in and out slowly, not wavering when it came to showing Juugo who was really in charge. He didn't need to look at the mirror to know that his expression was different from Itachi's. There was no fear in Juugo's eyes.

The muscular teen let go of the poor kid, who glared weakly and ran off to pretend nothing had happened. Juugo's face went from still to dejected as he looked down at his feet. Suigetsu and Karin were both gaping in shock before rushing over to Juugo and asking if he was alright. Sasuke began to walk stoically to the art room, but felt his arm being grabbed by a large hand.

He turned around in annoyance and met Juugo's gaze, who let go right after. "Thank you... But how?"

Sasuke turned around. "What?" 

"How.. Did you do that?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I just looked at you. I didn't really think, I just did."

Suigetsu grinned. "I think we just found you a new Kimimaro, Juu."

Juugo looked pensive, but he ended up nodding.

"You have no idea how powerful that is, Sasuke. It's like, a talent or something," Suigetsu added.

"I don't think staring counts as a talent."

"It's not just staring, though! It's like.. _Hypnosis_."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and walked into the art room, noticing that the others followed him inside.

"So who's Kimimaro?" Sasuke asked.

Suigetsu flashed him a boxy smile and sat on top of a table. Karin sat with her legs crossed on a chair nearby while Juugo stood calmly.

"Kimimaro was my foster brother," said Juugo.

Sasuke nodded and sat down. He didn't miss the word _was_ , but he made no comment on it, waiting for Juugo to continue.

"I was adopted by his family when I was 8. He was the only person that could calm me down whenever I..." He stopped, thinking of a good way to describe his violent tendencies. ".. Lost control."

"Is it normal for you to lose control?" Sasuke asked carefully. 

"Yeah. When he's calm he's actually a very gentle person," Karin answered. "But when he gets angry, he gets _angry_." 

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and sat back, crossing his arms. He already knew what was going to happen now. They were going to follow him around, since Juugo needed a new anchor. The anchor in question sighed and accepted his fate. They seemed to be loyal enough, anyway, so he decided to humor them.

"So, you gonna tell us more about yourself now?" Suigetsu asked.

"Hn."

"Hn?"

"... Fine. What do you want to know?"

"Mm, just the basics so we could get an idea of what you're like."

"Well... I'm Sasuke, my blood type is AB, and I like tomatoes and onigiri. I also make origami in my free time." He lazily motioned to a little blue bird he made while they talked.

"Ooh, that's super cool. I'm on the swimming team and Juugo here is on the basketball team. Karin sings and does karate."

"Basketball..." Sasuke stopped himself, wondering if he should really ask the question he was thinking of asking. "Do you know.. Naruto Uzumaki?" He continued.

"Yes," replied Juugo. "He's the best on the team."

"What's he like?" Sasuke asked, curious to find out more. He didn't know why something like this piqued his interest, and he didn't want to figure it out. Something about what Kakashi said earlier unsettled him to a great extent.

"He's another one of those loud and self-absorbed popular kids." Karin answered this time, rolling her eyes.

"Isn't he your cousin or something?" Suigetsu asked.

"Hell if I know. Not everyone with the same last name is related, dumbass."

Suigetsu rolled his eyes at the sudden hostility. Sasuke thought about her description for a moment and wondered why he was internally defending Naruto. 

The bell rang a minute or two later, and they all stood. Suigetsu stretched before wrapping his arm around Sasuke's shoulder. "So, which class do you have now, paper boy?"

Sasuke glared at the nickname. "Physics."

"Really? With who?"

"Orochimaru."

"Damn, you were in my Physics class and I had no idea."

"I'm pretty quiet."

"Trust me, we can tell," said Karin.

They all walked out of the room as kids began to flood the hallways. Juugo was the first to split away from them, and Karin had left to drama class when they reached the second floor. Sasuke and Suigetsu were almost at physics class when a familiar blond caught his eye. Naruto was laughing and fooling around with some other people, goofing off until he met Sasuke's eyes. 

"Hey, friend!"

Sasuke froze. Friend? Suigetsu stopped right after him and turned back, confused. Sasuke felt the gears turning around in his own head. Naruto just called him his friend.

No one just greeted people as their friend. Or at least Sasuke didn't. And Sasuke was pretty much known for being antisocial. Maybe Naruto called everyone he knew his friend. Maybe that was why he had so many. So did he think of Sasuke as a friend? Was he joking? Had all of his interactions with Sasuke been a running joke? Did Naruto really even consider him as a-

"Sasuke?"

Sasuke snapped out of his thoughts and looked up at Suigetsu. "What?"

"You okay, dude? You completely zoned out."

Sasuke nodded and began to walk again. Naruto was going to be the death of him, making him overthink like that. The raven wondered why he felt so conflicted over Naruto. Nothing seemed to go right with the two of them. Suigetsu gave Sasuke a look of concern before following him.

Orochimaru gave the two teens a chilling smile as they walked inside of the classroom. So far, the creepy teacher wasn't being as creepy as Sasuke expected him to be, but still.

Halfway throughout the class, long black hair rested on Sasuke's desk and shoulder. He looked to his right and raised an eyebrow in scrutiny. 

"Is there something you need, sensei?"

"Just wondering why you're in this class, Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru purred. "You seem to already know everything already."

Sasuke mutely shrugged.

"You know, I substituted your brother's class for a couple of months. He was just like how you are now, he knew everything he needed to know in advance."

Black eyes narrowed at his teacher. What exactly was Orochimaru getting at? Sasuke remained still and listened.

"I think Itachi-kun would make a good serial killer."

Sasuke jolted and snapped his pencil in half.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was orange and blue and covered in lots of paper, but it was so beautifully decorated that Naruto didn't want to open it. It was covered in paper birds and flowers, creating an intricately detailed scene. Naruto walked over to it and turned it around and gasped when he saw a little paper version of himself on it with a note attached to the front.

"And... We're done!"

Tsunade wiped her hands together and stepped back to admire the decorations.

Naruto grinned and looked around. "This is amazing!"

"You'd better thank me, brat. Now I'm covered in paint!"

The group of teenagers laughed as Naruto thanked the woman, bowing not-so-gracefully. "Thanks, gran-gran."

Tsunade smiled and flicked him on the forehead. "No problem. Shikamaru, check if the lights are working properly."

Shikamaru groaned and mumbled things about his laziness but did so anyway, giving everyone a thumbs up when he was finished. Naruto clasped his hands together, the foxy smile not leaving his face.

He had made the request of hand-decorating the entire place, since it was a great experience and only added to the fun of having a party. He pulled a speck of paper from the drying paint and threw it out. The blond turned round and round as his eyes sparkled at the beauty that they had created.

"Awesome, right?" Sakura asked and wiped the old t-shirt that she was wearing.

"Maybe you were right about not having a Jurassic themed party," Kiba commented, crossing his arms as if he was still mad about it.

"It really is awesome. Thank you all, I really appreciate it," said Naruto genuinely.

"Yeah, yeah," Ino said, "we know you love us. Now let's have a group hug, we haven't done this in a while!"

The more outgoing people in the group jumped in while the others had a harder time joining, but eventually they all had their arms wrapped around each other. Naruto couldn't help but smile warmly. He really loved his friends.

"Now go change. We can't have you guys being covered in paint and paper when everyone gets here," Tsunade joked.

Everyone agreed and dispersed over to their own rooms and bathrooms, fumbling with their outfits and cleaning up. Naruto inspected himself in the mirror and brushed through his hair. It was unruly as usual, and he didn't make an effort to gel or part it. It took away from his natural charm.

He decided that the theme would be semi-formal, but with a bit of fun sprinkled in. He wasn't really interested in big parties, but they were also major when it came to promoting the company. And that was the least he could do in return for his father.

A chorus of cheers and playful catcalls were made by his friends as he made his way downstairs, eliciting an eye roll from the blond. His mouth was enough to betray him, though, since he was grinning from cheek to cheek.

He noticed an extra head and frowned before realizing who it was from. The red hair was a clear giveaway.

"Nagato!" Naruto dashed down the stairs and bolted towards Nagato, who had a small smile on his face. He jumped up to hug his cousin and laughed.

"Woah, woah. You've gotten even more built, sport."

Naruto jumped off and smoothened his orange dress shirt and bow tie as he beamed at his cousin. "Yeah, the team did a lot of training to win championships."

"That's good, that's good. Wow, 16 already, huh?"

"Yep," answered Minato, a proud smile displayed on his face. "Soon enough we'll be dressed like this for his wedding."

Nagato laughed and patted Naruto on the shoulder while Naruto blushed. Tsunade walked back in, makeup blended perfectly on her face. "Alright, the food's done, the decor is done, all we need now is the guests."

Everyone nodded while Kiba barked a laugh, though it sounded a little too much like a bark. "Imagine if Naruto gave everyone the wrong address."

The group laughed in response while Minato blanched. His son did seem like the type of person to do that.

A couple of minutes later, the bell rang, and guests arrived. Then, it rang again, then again, and after 20 minutes the party had officially begun. The disco ball along with LED lights were lit, changing colors occasionally to the beat of the blaring music coming from the speakers. Naruto noticed as kids he knew in elementary and middle school began to pour in.

A tap on his shoulder brought his eyes away from the commotion, and behind him. His eyes brightened when he noticed his elementary school teacher who had kept in touch with the family.

"Iruka sensei!"

"Naruto! Gosh, you're even taller than me!"

Naruto gave him an elated smile and wrapped his arms around the tanned man with a scar on his nose.

"It's great to see you!"

"I'm glad! I was scared you'd forgotten me for a second!"

Naruto laughed in disbelief. "Never!"

The two of them had kept in touch even after Naruto's last year in elementary. Naruto had been Iruka's favorite student, regardless of his sporadic and sometimes annoying tendencies. Minato had noticed this, and kept in contact with the male.

Iruka hugged Naruto once more and waved, mentioning something about putting a note in his gift.

Naruto waved back before looking around again. His friends were all over the place, dancing and laughing like it was the last day on earth. Soon enough, he felt himself being dragged to the center as people cheered and cheered his name out loud.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Nagato and Itachi and some other people conversing with each other as they watched him get passed around as they danced.

Wait.

Itachi?!

Naruto turned and gawked at Itachi as Nagato waved. Itachi smiled and raised a glass in his direction. The blond had no idea that Nagato and Itachi were friends. Hell, he had no idea they even knew each other!

Blue eyes continued to skim over the crowd, noticing things were definitely escalating between multiple couples. He had no idea why, his father and Tsunade made sure there would be no alcohol. Though he knew that the adults that they had invited were probably sipping at their wine in the other room.

Thinking about Itachi led Naruto to think about Sasuke. They hadn't really talked much since the day he'd shown Sasuke his grade. Sure, Sasuke still tutored him, but he seemed more detached than usual. Most of their interactions were just instructions or insults. Naruto briefly wondered if he had done anything wrong, but dismissed it immediately after. Maybe Sasuke knew that Naruto knew about him and Sakura.

"Earth to Naruto!"

"H- huh?"

"Did you hear anything of what I just said?" Ino asked.

"No, I didn't. Sorry."

"No biggie! I was just asking if you invited Sai!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. He wasn't judging her for asking, but he wondered why she was in the first place. Sai was a year above them in school, and as far as Naruto knew, barely interacted with Ino.

"I did!"

"Okay!" She ran off before he could even ask why.

Everybody continued to dance around him, but Naruto was beginning to get tired. He walked down the steps and made his way to the snacks, where he noticed three familiar troublemakers.

"Yo, Uzumaki!" Suigetsu saluted while Karin turned her nose in the other direction. Juugo gave him a gentle smile in acknowledgement.

"Hey," Naruto greeted politely. So far, they seemed cool enough so he didn't mind their company.

"Nice place," the white haired kid commented.

"Thanks!" Sapphire eyes noticed a cup along with an assortment of different drinks to choose from. Naruto went with fruit punch, since he was beginning to get a little tired of citrus drinks like orange juice and lemonade.

Naruto began walking in the other direction with his drink in one hand, taking occasional sips as he watched people dance and have fun. He was loving the party so far.

Well, he figured he said that a little too soon, because a second later a body crashed into him and caused the punch to spill over both of them, and their suits.

Naruto grunted as he collided with the unknown person and looked down to find a head of black hair that was styled in a way that kind of resembled a duck's rear. There was punch all over him, and on Naruto's shirt and tie.

"Oh, shit. My bad, hold on-" he grabbed the person's arm and dragged him away from the crowd so that he could lead him to the bathroom. As soon as the amount of people began to decrease, a hand smacked his own away.

"Ow!"

"That's what you get for spilling whatever that was on me, dobe."

Naruto blinked and turned around to see Sasuke Uchiha standing there with his face and white ruffled tuxedo shirt, which definitely looked expensive, tinted and splotched with a rosy shade of pink.

"Sasuke?"

"Yes, idiot. It's me."

The blond groaned and face palmed. "Asshole! Why'd you crash into me like that?"

"Why did _I_ crash into you like that? You practically ran into me."

Naruto sighed. "Just- get cleaned up. If you want, I can put your shirt in the laundry."

Sasuke's face was inscrutable for a moment before he shrugged. "Hn."

"Okay.. I'll get you a new set of clothes."

"What about you?"

Naruto looked down at his own shirt and made a 'meh' sound. "Don't worry your pretty little face about me, I've got plenty of these same types of shirts in my closet."

Sasuke's face remained pink, though he began to wonder if it was really the punch or not. Naruto ran off, presumably upstairs as Sasuke turned to look at the door that the tanned athlete had led him to. He opened it and walked inside. The raven shut the door and slid down to the floor against it while rubbing his face up and down.

"That _usuratonkachi_..."

He stood up a moment later and cleaned himself as much as he could. Naruto was taking his sweet time, probably washing himself as well. The gel that Sasuke used to part his bangs was long washed out, so his dark hair now also covered his forehead. He jumped as he heard a knock on the door accompanied with Naruto's voice.

"Sasuke? You there?"

"Yes."

"I'm coming in."

Naruto opened the door and walked inside, holding a white dress shirt and a pink tie. Sasuke glared at the blond for an obvious reason as the basketball player chuckled nervously.

"These were the closest to what you wore that I could find."

"So you're saying you don't have a single black tie."

"I would have given you orange, but it seemed like you didn't really like the color. Plus, pink would look good on you!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and pushed Naruto out before slamming the door shut, earning a muffled laugh from the other side. Sasuke's face turned as pink as the tie, though he didn't know if it was from anger or embarrassment, as he stripped out of his shirt and began to pull on the clothes that Naruto had given him. They smelled just like Naruto, and he wasn't going to lie, they smelled kind of nice. Of course, he wasn't creepy, so he wasn't going to sniff it any more than he already had.

Naruto's grin remained on his face as Sasuke opened the door. Seeing Sasuke in his clothes was a new sight for his azure eyes, but it was not disappointing. As he had said, pink really did look good on the Uchiha.

His eyes trailed upwards to Sasuke's face, which was pale as always. Naruto made a mental note to take Sasuke outside in the sun one day so that he could look a little healthier than he did now. He noticed that Sasuke's under eyes were purpler than usual, which was also pretty dark. He wondered if it was from studying, since he always knew everything about what they were learning.

"What are you staring at?" Sasuke demanded as he crossed his arms. He didn't like the concerned look that Naruto was giving him.

"Nothing. I just noticed how dead you look, teme." Naruto winced at the connotation of his own words.

The pallid teen rolled his eyes. "Not all of us can get as tanned as handsomely as you."

"Handsomely? So you admit I'm handsome?"

"Shut up before I leave."

Naruto rolled his eyes before laughing. His sunny smile seemed to make its way to Sasuke, who couldn't stop his lips from tugging upwards.

"But seriously, have you been sleeping?"

"No," Sasuke said flatly. He wasn't going to lie, he had always been bad at lying according to Itachi. He didn't want to direct unnecessary attention towards himself even more than he had already.

For the past couple of days, nightmares of a certain day had plagued Sasuke at night due to his interaction with Orochimaru. Sasuke had avoided the man as much as he could, and in the times he couldn't, Orochimaru didn't make a move. He didn't know whether that relieved or terrified him.

Sasuke was scared. He didn't know if Orochimaru had been joking or if he was seriously hinting at the fact that he knew about his and Itachi's dark secret. Sasuke didn't want to know what Itachi would do if he found out that Orochimaru knew.

Onyx eyes drifted upwards to sapphire. This wasn't good. If more people found out, then the police would end up knowing in no time. His stomach churned at the thought of Itachi going to prison. For the past couple of nights he had taken time to think carefully to himself. Why was he defending Itachi? Itachi aided in the murders of so many people.

But then again... Being silent made Sasuke complicit.

He was just as guilty as Itachi. And if people found out...

"Sasuke?" Naruto's voice was gentle now as he reached to touch the black haired boy on the shoulder.

Sasuke flinched and grabbed the tan wrist as he was brought out of his thoughts and snapped his gaze to Naruto. He let go a second later, letting Naruto's arm flop back to his side.

"..."

"Are you okay? You zoned out for a couple of seconds."

"I'm fine," Sasuke shook his head. "No matter that, why are you still here? This is your party, go have fun." The raven made a shooing motion.

Naruto frowned before grasping Sasuke's angular wrist.

"And leaving your emo ass alone here? No way."

Before Sasuke could protest, he felt himself being dragged by Naruto again. Inwardly, he was about to complain but he suddenly felt a warmness go through him. Naruto had just brought his thoughts away from his inner turmoil, and he couldn't feel more thankful for that.

The rest of the night was perfect. Naruto got to show Sasuke some dance moves before being dragged away by his friends. Sasuke ran into Karin, Suigetsu and Juugo later and continued to bond with them.

Both boys thought of each other during the rest of the party. Everyone counted and cheered as Naruto blew the sixteen candles. It was truly an amazing night for everyone, and Sasuke left the mansion with a smile on his face as he held the pink tie in his hand.

When everyone except his close friends and family had left, Naruto's eyes skimmed through all of the gifts he'd received during the party. His eyes crinkled his joy at the familiar names, but stopped when he noticed a particular one.

It was orange and blue and covered in lots of paper, but it was so beautifully decorated that Naruto didn't want to open it. It was covered in paper birds and flowers, creating an intricately detailed scene. Naruto walked over to it and turned it around and gasped when he saw a little paper version of himself on it with a note attached to the front.

_Happy birthday, dobe._

_-S_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh! I smiled a lot while writing this. Hopefully whoever read this enjoyed it! Thank you for reading. :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I told you, nothing's going to happen. Think of it as a rollercoaster ride."

"I didn't know you were into origami, Sasuke-bastard."

"Stop calling me that."

Naruto grinned and leaned back on his desk while Sasuke read through his answers on the Uzumaki's bed. Sasuke hummed and handed it back to the blond.

"Do question 8 again. You almost got it, but you made a careless mistake."

That earned a groan from Naruto, who took the paper in his hand and slumped over on his desk. He was so close!

Sasuke twisted strands of his hair as he finished the last bits of his homework. Naruto had invited him to his house after the party through text so that they could be more comfortable while Sasuke tutored him. At first, Sasuke was against the idea of going to his house, but Mikoto had urged him to accept the invitation.

"What about this?" Naruto passed the paper over to Sasuke, who looked at it once more and shook his head.

"Not quite. Let me show you again."

Sasuke walked over beside Naruto's seat and bent down to write a couple of notes for Naruto to follow while he tried again. Naruto peered over Sasuke's arm and scratched his head.

"I still don't get it. What the hell does _i_ have to do with square roots?"

"Idiot. I told you, _i_ is equal to the square root of -1. It's an imaginary number, since you can't really get anything from it. You can't get a real number if you try simplifying a negative square."

Naruto pursed his lips together and took the pencil from Sasuke's hand.

"So..." He jotted down a couple of numbers. "The square root of negative 4... Is equal to 2i?"

"Yes. Now use that logic to find the answer for question 8."

Naruto nodded as determination lit up his eyes and began to write. Sasuke smirked and sat back down on Naruto's surprisingly not-orange bed. It was green, and there were lots of pictures of Naruto and his family around the room.

He picked up a stuffed frog and snorted. "You still have stuffed animals?"

"Leave me alone, it helps me sleep. My godfather gave it to me."

"Hey, I'm not judging. It's just funny."

"Funny how?"

"It looks like you."

Naruto turned around and gave Sasuke a questioning look. "How? I would have laughed if it was true, but I look nothing like it."

"Look at its face," Sasuke held it up and showed Naruto the confused looking frog. Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"It looks dumb, like you," Sasuke explained.

"Asshole!"

Naruto grabbed a pillow and threw it in Sasuke's direction, who hastily caught it. His eyes widened when he heard an unfamiliar sound come from the pale teen.

Sasuke was... laughing. Laughing? Naruto couldn't believe it, so he turned around to see it for himself. Okay, maybe laughing was an overstatement. It was more like silent giggling, with a hand covering his mouth.

"Hey, don't patronize me!"

"I'm not patronizing you, it's just funny. You really are a dunce, huh, dobe?"

"Sasuke..." Naruto held up another pillow in Sasuke's direction threateningly.

They were interrupted when a knock came from his door. Naruto gave it a puzzled look before shrugging. He walked up to the white door and twisted the knob, pulling on it until Tsunade was revealed.

"Hey brat and brat's friend. The pizza's downstairs."

"Thanks granny Tsunade!"

Naruto saluted as Tsunade walked off to wherever she was heading to. Sasuke seemingly heard what she said, since he was already cleaning and tidying up the place, stuffing the supplies into his bag.

"Oh yeah, Sasuke. Is there anything we need to know? Are you allergic to anything?"

Sasuke shook his head. "No."

"Do you even like pizza? We can always order something else."

"It's fine. Pizza's alright, as long as it doesn't have pineapple on it."

"You don't like hawaiian? What's wrong with hawaiian? Oh God, don't tell me you're one of _those_ people."

"Don't get your panties in a twist, moron. I just don't like sweet things in general."

Naruto rolled his eyes lightheartedly and nodded, deeming it an acceptable response. He grabbed Sasuke by the wrist and led him down to the dining room, where pizza sat atop a polished, dark wooden table.

Sasuke looked around the room, smiling softly as he noticed baby pictures of Naruto and his relatives. The house was warm and inviting. Still, he smirked as he nudged Naruto.

"Look, a tadpole."

"Shut up!"

* * *

Physics class, like always, was painfully slow as Orochimaru droned on and on about things that Sasuke already knew. He pressed his finger against the desk before stopping, and doing it again.

Suigetsu wasn't as loud as Naruto, but he was just as mischievous as him when it came to pulling pranks on the teachers. This other guy, Kiba, also seemed to be rather exuberant when it came to it.

However, Orochimaru had made it clear that he was not one to mess with. Kiba had received detention almost 6 times now. Sasuke wondered if the kid kept count of the amount of times he'd gotten in trouble for fooling around.

He was halfway done with his assignment when familiar dark locks of hair gracefully fell and tickled the side of Sasuke's face. Sasuke grimaced and pulled back and away from Orochimaru.

Deciding not to make a scene, since the man was clearly putting up a front of him apparently checking over Sasuke's work, Sasuke glared at the man and brushed the hair away from his desk.

"You're already up to that page?"

"Hn."

"That's excellent," Orochimaru murmured, pulling out an envelope and placing it on Sasuke's desk. "I want you to consider joining this."

Sasuke watched as Orochimaru slowly pushed the sealed purple envelope towards him with two fingers.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked.

"A very lucky opportunity. Consider it a token of gratitude for your service."

Dark eyes gave the teacher a skeptical look. Gratitude? His service? What was going on?

"I don't understand."

A chuckle escaped the creepy teacher's lips. "Think of it like this. Your brother is the heir to Uchiha Corp, no?"

Sasuke reluctantly nodded, wondering what Itachi had to do with any of this.

"Don't you think it would be bad if something were to happen, maybe if information was to come out that could potentially ruin his chances of becoming the next CEO?"

Sasuke froze. There it was again, the hints that Orochimaru knew about what had happened. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand as his hair covered his eyes. "Yes... Yes, it would be bad," he admitted.

"Now, if there hypothetically was information about him that you believe shouldn't be revealed, wouldn't you do anything in your power to prevent it from getting out there?"

Everything was hazy now. He didn't want to think about this anymore, but he knew he was being pushed into a corner. What was he supposed to say? If he said yes, the chances of Orochimaru knowing would be even higher. If he said no, well- maybe that would cause the man to dig deeper. Sasuke knew he looked tense and unsure, but he couldn't help it. The man was terrifying him.

"I.. Hypothetically... I would... "

Orocohimaru laughed quietly, though it still chilled Sasuke to the core. "Don't think too much about it, I was only playing with you. But..." His yellow eyes narrowed into slits, much like a snake.

"I suggest you tread carefully from now on, Sasuke-kun. Someone as intelligent as you should already know what to do." Orochimaru finally stood, patting Sasuke on the shoulder before returning to the front of the class.

Bile rose up the Uchiha's throat. That vile man had just threatened him, and he didn't know whether he felt worse about being threatened by a _physics teacher_ , or actually feeling intimidated by the threat. Sasuke clenched his fists, watching his knuckles fade from white to a pale peach color. There was no doubt that Orochimaru knew the truth about the massacre.

But how?

Sasuke hadn't said a single word, which meant that Orochimaru had either been there, or... A petrified expression took control of his face. Maybe someone had told him.

He squeezed his eyes shut. He wasn't going to let himself become paranoid for Itachi. This was his brother's problem, not his.

But was he going to allow himself to be blackmailed into joining.. whatever the envelope was offering him? He didn't think he loved Itachi, but he didn't hate him either. They had been through a lot together, and Itachi still.. acted like he cared. Sasuke wasn't sure if it was real, but it still counted as something.

As soon as the bell rang, Sasuke stormed out. He didn't need to turn around to feel Orochimaru's gaze burning into his back. Suigetsu ran after him and called his name, but Sasuke didn't wait for him to catch up.

* * *

"Ino, you bitch! Give it back!" Sakura screeched.

"No way, forehead! This is gold."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes as he continued to type on his phone. Neji massaged his temple lightly as he tried not to focus on what the girls were talking about.

"Ugh! I was, like, 9 in the picture. Leave me alone."

"You looked like a skinny version of Patrick the Star."

"You mean Patrick Star, you pig."

"At least I'm not pink like a pig."

"Alright, alright. Settle down, you two," said Kiba.

Ino crossed her arms. "Someone's feeling hypocritical today, huh?"

Kiba scoffed in disbelief, sparking an argument between the two about hypocrisy in the friend group. Shikamaru groaned halfway through it, complaining about how listening to them was too much of a drag, and that he envied the clouds that dragged themselves along the sky, carefree and tranquil.

"Whatever. I'm going on a hot date later, and she's on her way right now. Don't fucking embarrass me, or I swear to God I will-"

"Okay, okay, we get it," said Sakura. "Say, who's the girl, anyway?"

Kiba blushed and looked away, mumbling something in a way that resembled a certain Hyuuga.

Interested looks arose from the rest of the group. Kiba was never timid, so there was clearly someone in the picture.

"What did you say, Kiba?" Ino asked with amusement.

"...nata."

"Nata?"

Neji's eyes widened in recognition. "What?"

"... Hinata," he muttered.

The older Hyuuga's eyebrow twitched as he slowly faced Kiba. "You're going on a... hot..."

"No! Not like that! What the _fuck_ , Neji?!"

Neji's expression was one of bewilderment as his face turned redder and redder. The dark haired junior covered his face in embarrassment. Everyone knew he was extremely protective of Hinata, especially after misunderstandings between the two branches of the Hyuuga family had been cleared up.

Sakura laughed at the interaction and ran a hand through her hair. "Say.. Has anyone seen Naruto? He's been pretty MIA today."

Shikamaru shrugged. Ino had a pensive look on her face. As if on cue, a familiar laugh came from another direction. Sakura swung her head around, mouth opening slightly along with the rest of the group as they saw Naruto along with another person.

He was holding a book, which was completely new to them. Naruto never read books willingly. But the sight of who was next to them was even stranger. Sasuke was walking alongside him with a small smile on his face, and pointing to a page in the book.

... Sasuke never smiled when he was with her. Not once. She'd tried, but she had failed. Nothing that she had done had ever made him look as happy as he did now. That felt like a punch to the gut.

Ino placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder, who said absolutely nothing as she slowly sat back down and turned around. She didn't want to think about what she had just seen.

"You okay?" Ino asked with genuine worry in her voice.

"I'm... I need to go," she announced, abruptly getting up and power walking off before anyone could process it.

No one felt like talking anymore, not even Kiba, who was just talking about how excited he was to meet up with Hinata. When one of them was upset, it spread to the rest of the group. Ino soon ran after her, since despite the insults she always threw at the pink haired girl, she cared for Sakura deeply.

They all knew Naruto wasn't going to leave Sasuke anytime soon. While the two didn't know it yet, their eyes always seemed to gleam in a different way than usual whenever they were with each other.

Hinata arrived a minute or two later, her shoes barely making a sound on the asphalt. Kiba's mood quickly lightened as he ran over to her and began to talk endlessly about some subject he'd probably planned on telling her about for days.

* * *

"Y'know, Sasuke, you really aren't as bad as I thought."

"Hn."

Naruto's eyes rolled upwards. "Except for when you give me responses like that."

"It's because everything you say doesn't call for a response," Sasuke informed him.

"Pfft. So, where exactly is this place you're taking me?"

Sasuke looked up at the sky. It was safe to say that he and Naruto were now friends. In his head, considering someone as a friend had requirements. And he had already 1, had Naruto come over, 2, spent time with the blond outside of school and 3, went to Naruto's house twice.

"It's a family secret. Well, more like me and Itachi's secret when we were younger," he corrected.

"I don't know if I like the sound of that or not." Naruto grinned.

"Are you adventurous?"

Naruto blinked. He didn't know what Sasuke meant by that. The word adventurous had so many levels, it could span from taking a hike to jumping off of a plane. He thoughtfully scratched the back of his head before nodding.

"Yeah, I guess I am."

"Then you'll like it," was the immediate reply. "Trust me, it's thrilling."

The two of them took a bus, which would have freaked the hell out of Minato if Naruto hadn't lied and told him he was at Kiba's. Sasuke seemed to be used to this path, so Naruto trusted him.

The bus was a new environment, but they stayed in it for a while. Naruto got to talk to little kids that innocently boasted about the toys that their parents had gotten them. One little girl had latched herself onto Sasuke, which Naruto had found hilarious and overwhelmingly cute. They talked with their parents as well, who taught them countless life lessons and stories along the way.

They didn't exit the bus until the last stop, which kind of freaked Naruto out. He hadn't ever gone this far from his house without family. Sasuke led him past a rocky path, one that seemed distinctly Victorian and medieval compared to the modern environment in Konoha City.

Sasuke's hand was wrapped around Naruto's wrist this time, and brought him closer when they finally reached a dark bridge. It was small, yet big, and Naruto noticed that there were rails on top of it. Sasuke kept walking in its direction and Naruto felt his heart rise to his throat.

He stopped abruptly, causing Sasuke to stop as well. The raven turned around, dark eyes examining blue.

"What?"

"Sasuke... Where are you taking me?"

"I told you-"

"No, where _exactly_?"

"We've reached it," said Sasuke, his tone devoid of emotion.

His eyes widened as his stomach flipped. "W- what do you mean?"

Naruto had seen enough movies to know that railroads were definitely not a good area for a person to take another. Even if he was wrong, he didn't want to go on a train away from the city, even farther than he had already gone. Urgency and panic began to surge through Naruto's nerves.

Sasuke sighed, obviously knowing what Naruto was thinking. "Do you trust me?"

The blond's hand began to shake in Sasuke's grasp. He didn't want to die. He didn't want Jiraiya's death to be in vain. He wanted to step back, but he was scared. He didn't care if he was overreacting. Sasuke's eyes softened as his own hand moved down to hold Naruto's in his own, to show Naruto that they were on equal ground.

But Naruto was still alarmed. He'd never done anything like this.

"I... Yes? I- but-"

"I promise nothing will happen to you. I've done this plenty of times."

Pure adrenaline was the only reason Naruto nodded. He didn't know why, but something in him told him he absolutely _had_ to do this.

His throat tightened as he heard a shrill sound that could only come from a train. Horns, whistles and bells flooded his ears as Sasuke gripped his hand tightly and began to run. Naruto shouted multiple protests, instantly regretting his acceptance.

"No! Sasuke, _no_!" Tears pooled in his eyes as his face was contorted in an expression of fear.

The train was approaching fast, and Naruto could see its outline in the distance. He could feel the vibrations under them as they reached the bridge. Naruto couldn't move anymore, and had to rely on Sasuke to move farther under the bridge.

He was confused now. The train was above them, wasn't it? What was Sasuke aiming for?

Sasuke gently sat Naruto down beside him and ran a careful hand along Naruto's forehead.

"I told you, nothing's going to happen. Think of it as a rollercoaster ride."

Naruto looked up at Sasuke. He knew he looked pathetic right now, with tears streaming down his face, but could you blame him? He wasn't some ninja. Life was fragile, and he didn't want his to be wasted by some stupid train. He didn't want anybody to cry over him, either.

"Wh... What if it falls?"

Sasuke smirked. "That's what I said the first time. I was eight. Come on, you could do better than an eight year old."

Naruto sent Sasuke a weak glare that quickly faded into fear as the train got even closer.

"It's coming," he whispered as his eyes widened like saucers again. He couldn't help but inch closer to Sasuke out of fear. The tracks rumbled loudly, sending jolts up Naruto's spine every time one got too close to his ears.

A scream ripped from his throat when the train finally made its way above them, and he continued even as he felt his face get buried in someone else's chest. The screams slowly developed into sobs as his tears soaked through Sasuke's shirt. Arms gently, yet awkwardly made their way around Naruto's torso, pulling him closer as he hid himself in Sasuke's hold.

They remained that way even after the train passed by. Naruto clung to Sasuke desperately as he continued to weep and wail like a child who lost his mother at the grocery store. He didn't know why his body reacted like this, it was like a continuation of that day ten years ago. Subconsciously, Naruto reached up to touch his face, reminding himself that the scars were still there.

As the blond's sobs died down into whimpers, Sasuke pulled him away with a concerned, apprehensive gentleness that Naruto would have never recognized as Sasuke's.

"You crybaby."

"Shut up... Fuck you."

Sasuke looked at Naruto, surprised with a flash of worry. There was pure concern on his face now. He was about to speak, perhaps an apology, when Naruto gave a half-suppressed giggle.

Then another one, then a full one, and it escalated further and further until both of them began to laugh. Naruto wiped the tears from his eyes as Sasuke handed him a tissue to blow his nose in.

A shaky sigh came from Naruto as he was pulled away from the bridge.

"Y- you were right, by the way," he said.

"Huh?"

"It really did feel like a rollercoaster ride. But way scarier."

Sasuke's lips curved upwards. Sharing this experience with Naruto was so worth it.

"But what the fuck? Was your brother crazy, taking you here when you were eight?"

Sasuke smirked. "Maybe. But I got to show you this place, so I guess it's okay." He paused for a moment. "Actually.."

Naruto looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

"I... I think the reason why he took me here was _because_ it was an alternate for roller coasters."

"What do you mean?"

Sasuke looked down, suddenly feeling some appreciation for his older brother. "When I was seven, I.. Something happened. And I ended up being in a coma for two weeks. After that, we found out there was something wrong with my brain," he explained. "I couldn't play sports or go on rollercoasters like everyone else could, and my memory was out of commission for years. I guess... Itachi took me here to replicate the thrill of roller coasters."

Naruto's eyes were warm and sympathetic, but not pitying. He understood how pitying glances could make someone feel. He realized now that that was the reason Sasuke didn't participate during gym. He didn't press on with the subject, not wanting to annoy the Uchiha.

"That's... Wow. Itachi sounds like an amazing older brother. You're lucky."

Sasuke was quiet for a moment as the sky darkened into a rich purplish blue behind him. He nodded.

"... I guess I am."

Naruto smiled, happiness radiating off of him like illumination did from a lightbulb. This time, he took Sasuke's hand to lead them away from the bridge. Sasuke let himself be dragged along as the sky continued to turn dark blue without caring about what was happening below it.

Sasuke had always wondered why Itachi held him so gently every time he cried while the train passed, but now he understood. Holding someone you cared about and knowing that you were the reason that they were calming down was one of the best feelings in the world.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Then, Naruto began to laugh, but he wasn't laughing at him. No, he was laughing at them. And damn the blond for having a contagious laugh, because every ounce of humility and pride in Sasuke evaporated once he began to laugh as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is probably my favorite so far. It was also the most frustrating one to type, since it got deleted 1600+ words in. But luckily, my motivation came back and here we are!

The distance to the bus stop was not too long. Two sets of footsteps clacked against the wet concrete as rain pattered around them. Pale fingers reached to wrap themselves around a tan wrist. It was raining. Not pouring, but almost. Naruto slowed down a bit for Sasuke to catch up and finally hold on. Naruto had always been faster than the other kids.

Sasuke was wheezing slightly, but he managed to keep it as soundless as he could. Plus, the sound was being masked by their laughter. The sky was painted indigo with splotches of purple and magenta that were left behind by the sunset. Bright stars, ones that he would never have seen in the city, began to make way in the sky. The white lights illuminating the bus stop were closer now. If they kept it up, they'd reach it in twenty seconds, he decided.

Naruto was smiling, causing something new to bloom in Sasuke's chest. For a moment, he was scared that he had upsetted the blond earlier. But everything had ended up turning out alright, after all. They were silent now, aside from occasional pants that came out every time their shoes pressed against the ground.

They finally reached the bus, which seemed fairly older than the last one they took. They had almost missed it, but the bus driver was nice enough to lag behind his schedule. Sasuke panted and allowed himself to be led inside by Naruto, and swiped his card. They walked to the end of the vehicle, relishing in the heat and sitting in the open area.

It was fairly empty, aside from the two of them along with a couple of passengers wearing suits and the driver. They all seemed to be preoccupied with something, be it a book or tapping on their phones or laptops. Naruto let out a breath, sitting back with his smile still stretching across his face.

Sasuke sniffed and pulled out another tissue from the packet of tissues he kept with him, the one he had taken from to help wipe away Naruto's tears. Naruto stretched in his seat and yawned before taking a look at Sasuke.

"Woah, Sasuke, what happened to your face?!"

The not-so-pale anymore teen's eyes rolled upwards in amusement.

"Calm down, I have thin skin. I get red easily whenever blood rushes to my face after being in the cold."

Naruto made a noise and nodded in affirmation before sending Sasuke a vulpine grin.

"Ya know, I should keep a list of random fun facts about you. Like, who would have known that Sasuke Uchiha had thin skin?"

"Stop talking as if I'm a celebrity," Sasuke mumbled.

The blond opened his mouth before closing it. The bus ride was going to be long, so he figured they should do something productive to pass time. A lightbulb lit in his head, prompting him to dig deep into his bag and find _American Assassin_. The page he was on was marked by an orange-painted bookmark he had received from Ino. Apparently she was trying out art in order to impress some junior. Sasuke's head was in the other direction as he rubbed his hands together, clutching at any source of heat he could find.

Naruto chuckled and nudged Sasuke, who turned around, head tilting to the side. Sasuke's face was unimpressed as his dark eyes glanced at the book. Naruto noticed how dark they really were, with no clear boundary between the iris and the pupil.

"You're still up to that chapter?"

"I'm a slow reader," was the blond's confession.

Sasuke sighed and took the book into his own trembling hands and opened his messenger bag. For a moment, he left the book in between their laps and searched through it before pulling out his earbuds. They fell on his lap as Sasuke pulled out his phone, plugging the headphones in and swiping on the screen a couple of times. Naruto's brows drew together as Sasuke handed him the right earbud and pushed them into his own ear.

The mood was peaceful now. Naruto rested his head on his palm as he looked outside. He knew the rain was loud outside, but it was muffled behind the window. He closed his eyes and leaned back on his seat, listening to the sound of pages being flipped. Sasuke was probably turning to the page that Naruto had left off from.

The world was quiet for a moment before loud, ear splitting music began to blare inside of his ears. Naruto reeled and yanked it off, glaring at Sasuke as he shoved it towards his chest.

"Asshole!"

Sasuke would have been doubling over in laughter right now, but his Uchiha pride was not allowing him to. But then again, his Uchiha genes never seemed to work properly whenever he was around Naruto. He went with smirking and shrugging instead.

Naruto huffed and turned his face away, sticking his nose up in the other direction much like a toddler.

"Sorry, I had to wake you up," was Sasuke's excuse.

The raven tapped Naruto's shoulder and lifted the earbud in his direction. Naruto pouted before taking it. He was interested in what was going to happen in the book, anyway. This time, though, he was cautious. He held it close to his ear first, to make sure loud music still wasn't playing. When he heard softer music instead, he hesitantly pushed it in.

Soft, peaceful chords made their way into Naruto's ears. His posture immediately relaxed after he adjusted himself on his seat, scooting a little closer to Sasuke. His excuse was that he needed to see the book better, and he'd stand by that excuse until he died.

Sasuke ran pale fingers through his black hair, the colors strikingly contrasting with each other. Naruto noticed how the way the light reflected off his hair gave it a blue tinge. He figured Sasuke would be the type to listen to classical music, though he'd also expected rock, or metal, or whatever related to that. He looked angsty enough to listen to those types of stuff. An awkward poke to his shoulder snapped him out of his trance.

"Let me know when you want me to flip the page," whispered Sasuke. "Just give me a nudge or something."

Naruto nodded and pulled his hood above his head. The ride back home was going to be long, he knew it. He felt kind of tired now, the adrenaline was beginning to wear off. Embarrassment reddened his face when he realized that he had just been crying in Sasuke's arms a couple of minutes ago. Sure, the pale student didn't seem to be bothered by it, but Naruto couldn't believe it. The last time he cried in front of someone was… He couldn't remember.

So why with Sasuke? That question echoed in his head for the next forty minutes. They remained quiet, shifting once in a while for comfort. Naruto looked up at Sasuke a couple of times too, to be met with the pleasant view of Sasuke concentrating on the story. He looked tranquil, with an expression that Naruto had only seen a few times in their short time knowing each other.

The bus finally whistled, indicating that they had reached their stop.

Naruto got up and stretched, handing Sasuke the white earbud. Sasuke laughed quietly as he began to push everything inside his gray messenger bag.

"But why-y-y?!" Naruto moaned and rubbed his face. The ending wasn't enough to satisfy him, it seemed.

"Calm down. Maybe I shouldn't introduce you to the next book or you'll be freaking out even more."

"Next book? There's more?!"

"Of course there is, idiot. You really think it ended like that? Victor gets _way_ worse in Kill Shot, by the way."

They both stood as Sasuke straightened out his black overcoat. Naruto bent up and down to get rid of the sore feeling in his rear end.

"Damn, my ass hurts."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and grabbed Naruto by the wrist, tugging it along as they walked over to the front. The bus driver gave them a pitied look and a lopsided smile, evoking a frown from Sasuke and a blink from Naruto.

"Good luck out there, kids."

They realized now that the sound of the rain pitter pattering against the window had now multiplied, and the raining from earlier had transitioned into a full blown storm. Both of their eyes widened.

"You like running, dobe?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto gave him a wild grin.

"Yeah, _I_ do."

Sasuke smirked, getting ready to make a run for it. Naruto clearly had other plans in mind, since before Sasuke could say anything he felt larger hands below his knee and back. His mouth opened, but before he could protest he felt his body get hoisted up onto fairly strong arms. Oh God, he wasn't-

He was being carried bridal-style by Naruto.

The Uchiha blushed furiously as the blond bolted out without a warning. Rain immediately splashed onto their faces. He was able to get a clear view of the sky now, which was colored a midnight blue with less stars mottled across it. Obviously, he wasn't stupid, so he knew not to struggle against Naruto's hold. Still, he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by how embarrassing he looked right now.

Then, Naruto began to laugh, but he wasn't laughing at him. No, he was laughing at _them_. And damn the blond for having a contagious laugh, because every ounce of humility and pride in Sasuke evaporated once he began to laugh as well.

How ridiculous they must have looked right now! Some blond, blue eyed freak was carrying a pale, black haired teen as they both held onto their bags. The rain flattening the hair on their heads made them look even funnier. Sasuke's stomach began to hurt from laughter, humored wheezes escaping his lungs since it had been a while since the last time he laughed.

"How do you like this rollercoaster, Sasuke?"

Time seemed to slow down for the onyx eyed boy. The question echoed in his head, again and again. Naruto… did this for him. Sasuke's heart swelled with appreciation as he became silent and searched through those blue eyes. They were raw and unfiltered. _Don't do this to me, Naruto… Don't give me hope._

"I loved it. Thank you, Naruto."

Lampposts lit up the rest of the streets, but they remained that way, with Sasuke latching onto Naruto as the sunny teen tried to shield him from the rain. Naruto finally let go of Sasuke and placed him down under the awning of a cafe.

"I'm going to get us something hot. I'll also see if they have any umbrellas, okay?"

Sasuke nodded and suppressed a shiver. Naruto walked inside, leaving Sasuke to think to himself. A light blush pooled in his cheeks as he remembered Naruto's question from earlier. He still couldn't believe that Naruto had done something like that for him. He shook his head and flicked his own forehead to mimic Itachi. _Kami, Sasuke, you're even sappier than mom now._

Naruto walked out a couple of minutes later, holding two hot cups in each hand and an umbrella tucked in between his arm and forearm. Sasuke noticed the umbrella first, though, and took it from Naruto to avoid any accidents.

"They had umbrellas?"

"Nah, but this nice guy noticed I was all wet and happened to have an extra he could lend me."

"Hn. That's kind of him," said Sasuke. He eyed the drinks before handing one to Sasuke, who took the smoky foam cup with both hands and sipped it.

"White tea?"

"Yeah. Do you like it? I asked for oolong, since you got it last time, but they ran out so I asked for any."

"It's good. What did you get?"

Naruto grinned, just like a toddler, and flaunted his drink with his own cold hand. "Hot chocolate."

"Ew."

"Teme! Hot chocolate is great. What isn't there to like about it?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Ugh, it's just.. Gross. Too sweet."

He closed his eyes, expecting to hear a full on tangent about his _stupidity_ until strong arms wrapped around him instead, causing him to stiffen. He relaxed into it a second later, though, but it still caught him off guard.

"Why the sudden hug?"

Naruto shrugged around him. "It just felt right," he pulled away and smiled.

"That experience, under the bridge. It meant a lot to me. Thank you."

Sasuke looked down, unable to look at Naruto directly in the eye. What was going on with him? How could a single statement make his stomach twist and turn like this? He sucked in a breath and looked back up.

"I'll… remember this day. Thank _you_ for spending it with me," he replied, hoping it sounded okay.

It seemed to have been the right thing to say, because he felt himself being pulled into another bear hug as Naruto opened the umbrella. They were definitely going to catch colds after this, but hey, it was worth the rollercoaster ride.

* * *

Chalk white fingers pushed furiously into Sasuke's keyboard. The purple envelope was ripped apart and discarded on his desk, but Sasuke paid it no attention. What was more important was its contents.

Most things that could only be accessible tangibly were now present online, so here Sasuke was, typing down the URL positioned on the top of the page. He couldn't believe he was doing this, but he figured it was necessary. He made a promise to himself to not get mad at Itachi for at least a week because of the rollercoaster thing, but _damn_ was it hard.

It was hard, alright. For some reason, the older Uchiha had made it his sole mission to annoy Sasuke today. As soon as he got home, Sasuke was bombarded with taunts and irritating jabs directed towards him. When the mocking reached level three, Sasuke had stormed upstairs and locked himself into his bedroom.

Seriously, what was up with him today? The one time Sasuke actually felt respect for the long-haired Uchiha, his older brother had already begun to unknowingly take advantage of the promise he'd made to himself.

He sighed as he pressed enter, and was taken to the site he was looking for.

"The Ryuchi group," he read aloud. Dragon… what? What the hell kind of name was _that_?

He scrolled down and winced at the bright light that did its best to illuminate the rest of the dark room. It was some type of introduction, or description.

_The Ryuchi Group is a highly-selective organization that hand picks only the brightest students through a rigorous exam…_

Sasuke scrolled further down. He didn't really care about the test, he knew that Orochimaru was going to pull some strings regardless of his score. His breath caught in his throat when his eyes skimmed over one particular section. The benefits.

"Community service time, scholarships, internship options, opportunities for colleges," he breathed out, continuing to mutter them out loud.

He couldn't believe it, Orochimaru really did know how to blackmail. This was any dedicated student's wet dream. Sasuke sighed and sat back, running a hand through his hair. Did he really want to do it? Well.. he had the option of refusing, but Orochimaru _did_ threaten him and implicitly say that bad things would happen with Itachi if he did. He sighed and pressed the down button a couple of times, stopping at Orochimaru's face.

There was nothing he really had to see from that, so his eyes flicked to another profile. A white haired man, who looked about Itachi's age, maybe younger, had the pleasure of having his picture next to Orochimaru's. His name was Kimimaro Kaguya. Sasuke wondered for a brief moment if Itachi knew him. He seemed to have no eyebrows, aside from two red dots that looked tattooed on where his eyebrows should have been and red under his eyes. There was something awfully familiar about him, but Sasuke couldn't care less at the moment.

The sucky thing was that the entire thing seemed credible. Credible enough for him to actually be tempted. Nothing bad was bound to happen, aside from seeing Orochimaru's face. Sasuke grimaced as he thought of the creeps ghastly white complexion and yellow eyes.

"Damn it, Itachi. The things I do for you.." he mumbled.

"What things?"

Sasuke jumped up in his seat and slammed his laptop shut, twisting himself around to find Itachi standing by the doorway with a key in his hand. A key! What the hell?!

"What the fuck, Itachi!"

Itachi's eyes and expression were dark, enough to bring chills down Sasuke's spine. The last time he saw Itachi like that was… well, it wasn't good. Itachi was clearly angry at him. Sasuke began to panic. Sure, little telltale signs weren't enough to actually scare someone, but this was _Itachi_. Nothing was ever normal with him. His eyes darted around to see what Itachi was mad about, before they rested on a familiar looking piece of paper.

"Actually, I think I already know what _things_ you're doing," Itachi said through gritted teeth, advancing towards Sasuke and picking the envelope up with his hand. The writing on the torn-open cover was an obvious giveaway of what it was.

The younger Uchiha wasn't a dunce. His brother obviously knew about the offer since Orochimaru literally told him that Itachi had received and rejected it. But he couldn't see what was wrong with it. The benefits were actually good, and there was nothing to lose. All he had to give was his time and effort, and that was something his parents were dying to see from him.

"Do you, though? Y'know, not all teens nowadays are like you when you were younger. A lot of us watch _porn_ ," he answered boldly.

God, out of all excuses, what drove him to using porn?

He was obviously desperate. He didn't want Itachi to dictate what he could and couldn't do anymore. If he wanted to do something, he'd do it. Itachi glared at Sasuke in response, his gaze prying through his own. Sasuke desperately tried to shield his mind from any attempts to read his mind, even though he knew it wasn't real. Okay, maybe it would take some convincing, but he still would.

"You clearly don't understand what you're getting yourself into."

"Like what? Signing up to take extra _science classes_?" Sasuke spat.

Itachi's eyes narrowed and Sasuke stilled. "Do you think this is funny, otouto?"

"I think it's ridiculous. It's just a clu-"

"A club? Is that what he told you?"

Sasuke glared at Itachi for cutting him off.

"Do you want me to show you what kind of _club activities_ they enjoy carrying out?"

An eye roll. He stood up, curious to see what Itachi was talking about. The website was credible, and seemed to have no flaw, so what the hell was he getting at. Itachi took this as an invitation to lead Sasuke into his room, which hadn't happened in a long time. Before they entered, Itachi ordered Sasuke to stay outside, and he disgruntledly obeyed.

The door unlocked, which meant he could finally go in. A large orange envelope was in Itachi's hand as the other one peeled it open.

"Close the door behind you."

Sasuke's heart rate escalated as he did so. What was Itachi going to show him? What was in that envelope? He hesitantly walked towards his older brother, who pulled out a couple of pictures and handed them to him face down. He took them in his hands and gulped. It was now or never, he guessed.

"Hn, probably something…" He trailed off.

His eyes made contact with the pictures. He immediately wished he didn't, because his brain decided that it couldn't take it almost a second after. Sasuke's hands began to shake as flashes of dead relatives and politicians littered across the floor flooded his mind. Itachi noticed what was happening too, and gently pried the photos out of Sasuke's hands.

"What the _fuck_ , Itachi," he whispered, the tone of his voice contrasting too much with his tone a couple of minutes ago.

Itachi walked behind Sasuke, the pictures still in his hands. Sasuke had only looked at them for a split second, only noticing grotesque depictions of mutilated bodies. There were no faces, like his memory had told him. A hand rested on his shoulder, which he flinched away from and slapped off of him. The hand returned, squeezing his shoulder until it hurt and raising the picture up in front of him again. Sasuke panicked and looked away. His brain couldn't handle this, he knew it.

"Do you want to be the cause of this, Sasuke?"

"No! I don't…"

"Then look at it. Burn it into your memory so that every time you look at that man, you see this image instead."

"I.. I can't."

"You can, I believe in you."

Sasuke laughed humorlessly. Since when did this talk become inspirational? He suddenly felt the urge to sob, which terrified him. It'd been years since he last cried, and he wasn't about to break down in front of Itachi. No way.

"No, it's not about that," he shut his eyes. He was digging himself even deeper.

Itachi was silent, but the silence was loud, A deep voiced sound of understanding made its way out of the man. "I see," he said simply and let go of Sasuke.

Sasuke opened his eyes. "You do?"

Itachi was already at the door. "It has to do with me."

The door closed behind him, and Sasuke could do nothing except watch. A sense of dread churned in his stomach. He had no idea how Itachi could do that. It was so easy for him to bring answers out of somebody. Sasuke took a shaky breath and pulled his phone out of his pocket. It was time he contacted the Akatsuki.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo that happened. The name of this fic was changed, so sorry if I confused anyone. Thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru nodded. “I need a reward, you know. I’ve been predicting that it would end up like this.”

“You suck at PVP, Kiba,”

Naruto commented, buried under four weighted blankets stacked up above him. Kiba replied with a jab in his direction while Neji reprimanded him, telling him that he shouldn’t hit a sick person. Naruto rolled his eyes and reached hesitantly for a tissue. The cold (in his opinion) air was enough to cause him to shiver, leading him to retract his arm back to its previous position, basking in the heat the blankets gave him.

But it still wasn’t enough. Naruto groaned and blew his nose. This was his worst cold he’d had in a while. The others knew this, which was why his father and Tsunade had given him a long lecture about why he absolutely _had_ to contact his driver whenever it was needed.

“I want to see you try playing, Naruto. Oh wait, you’re sick and stuck in bed.”

“Shut up,” he shot back nasally.

Neji sighed and picked up his chopsticks, raising a piece of sushi to his mouth. Shikamaru was leaning in, as if the television screen was running away from him, and squinting as he fought back against Kiba in their game. Obviously, due to his surprisingly strategic thinking style, Shikamaru won.

“Damn it!” 

Shikamaru picked up his sushi with his hands. He was too lazy to use his chopsticks. “Your turn next, Gaara.”

The redhead nodded and scooted over to where Shikamaru was sitting while Shikamaru moved beside Neji, picking up his phone and typing away. He obviously didn’t realize that a very sick Naruto was behind him, so the blond took the opportunity to slowly move up and peek at the screen.

“Holy shit!”

Shikamaru jerked up and flipped his phone as fast as he could. Naruto was laughing, moreso coughing, and holding his stomach in pain and amusement. The others watched the ordeal in confusion.

“You didn’t see anything!” 

“Dude, oh my God. Gaara would _love_ to hear this.”

“Shut up! Don’t say anything.”

Kiba paused the game and turned around. Gaara was also interested, since his name was brought up. Even Neji wanted to know.

“What would I love to hear?” Gaara asked.

A stifled laugh came from Naruto. Shikamaru covered his face and breathed heavily through his hands. Naruto couldn’t believe it, out of all people, Shikamaru was actually talking to…

“Sorry Shika, but he has to know. I mean, it’s his sister after all.”

Kiba howled in laughter, already knowing what Naruto was getting at. Even Neji had an amused look on his face. Gaara raised an eyebrow.

“What about my sister?”

“You know that-”

“Alright, fine,” said Shikamaru. “If anyone’s going to say it, it’s going to be me.” He stopped, unsure if he should keep going. After all, Gaara could be quite fearsome when he got angry. 

“Er, I’m kind of dating your sister.”

Everyone turned to Gaara, waiting for a response. There was no expression or emotion visible on his face for a moment, before he blinked. Muffled laughter was heard from Naruto and Kiba while Neji and Shikamaru kept their gazes on the redhead.

“... Oh.”

“... Oh?”

“I don’t know how else I should respond. You’re not stupid, so I know that you’re smart enough to know what will happen if you hurt her.”

“Huh, I guess you’re right. I don’t know why I was stressing.”

“You, _stressing_? Who knew love could change a person so much?” Kiba asked, surprised for a moment.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and sat back.

“Speaking of that,” he turned to Naruto, “could that be the reason for you too?”

“What?” Naruto asked. 

“Yeah. You changed, dude,” added Kiba. “Like, I don’t know if I like it, but it’s there.”

Naruto blinked. Had he really changed? He reached for his bedside mirror and looked at it. He didn’t notice anything different.

“Not like that, dumbass. Like, it’s the way you act. You act all, I dunno, different now.”

“I see it too,” said Neji.

“How?” Naruto asked. “It doesn’t feel like I’ve changed at all.”

“Obviously it doesn’t. It usually takes a while to realize it, but everyone around you could see it.”

“I think you’ve changed too, Kiba.” Gaara commented. “You’re less brash. I think Hinata’s influencing you.”

Everyone else sighed in relief at that. Kiba was just as energetic, maybe even more than Naruto.

Naruto hummed. Maybe they were right. He leaned back in his bed and looked up at the ceiling. What changed him, though? He wasn’t in a relationship like Kiba or Shikamaru. 

“Oh yeah, why were you even outside that long anyway?” 

Naruto glanced at Kiba for a moment, wondering if he should tell him. He didn’t think they would all like hearing that he spent most of the day yesterday with Sasuke, but they were his friends. They deserved to know.

“I, uh, I was hanging out with a friend. Sasuke.” He clarified.

The others stiffened, much to his dislike. Kiba looked like he wanted to say something, but he kept his mouth shut.

“Did you have fun?” Asked Neji.

Naruto smiled shyly. Yes, he had a lot of fun. The most fun he’d had in a long time. He wanted to punch himself for being so sappy with the Uchiha, but he also wanted to hug himself for getting Sasuke to finally warm up.

Crying in Sasuke’s arms was something he never had thought of. Like, how the hell would that even happen? He had just been so scared and paranoid, that when it was over, it felt like they had gone through something so emotional. 

The rest of the day was like magic. That new, special look in Sasuke’s eyes when Naruto had carried him was almost hypnotizing. He looked so hopeful, like no one had ever crossed his walls farther than Naruto had.

“Yeah, it was amazing.”

They were quiet. Only Kiba gave an indication of what they were thinking, with his mouth gaping open.

“Dude… you like him.”

Naruto almost jumped out of his bed.

“What? No!”

“You _do_ _!_ Did you not just hear yourself? Or see yourself in that bigass mirror behind us? You like him!”

“No I don’t! As if I could ever like a teme like… him…” Naruto trailed off as he was reminded of Sasuke’s face when he’d asked him how the rollercoaster was.

He shook his head immediately after. There was just no way.

“If you think you don’t, then you’re lying to yourself,” said Neji.

Gaara nodded. “You may try to deny it, but your eyes tell a completely different story.”

Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but he closed it back right afterwards. After all, it was true. Naruto looked at himself in the mirror and analyzed himself. They were right, he was different. And his eyes proved it. He looked like he was… in love.

“ _Fuck_.”

Shikamaru nodded. “I need a reward, you know. I’ve been predicting that it would end up like this.”

“So have I,” Neji vocalized.

Naruto groaned. “What the hell do I do?”

They shrugged. Shikamaru was the first to answer.

“Think of your emotions as a balance scale. One side is what your brain wants, and the other is what your heart wants. You have to wait until you find a comfortable balance. But there’s a catch that people don’t typically think about. Unlike a lot of people, you’ve got guts. So you have to take that into consideration. And when you’re finished with that… Well, just know that it’s going to be one of the biggest drags of your life.”

Of course he had to answer with a strategy.

* * *

Sasuke was absent for three days now, and Naruto was beginning to get worried. Two days ago was Sasuke’s first absence, but it kept going. _Maybe he’s still sick_ , he mused. Or maybe something happened. Hopefully nothing too bad.

His friends looked kind of tense, too. When he asked Juugo what was happening, he only received a stiff “don’t worry about it” before Suigetsu and Karin pulled him away. That only led him to become even more worried, but hey, he gave them an A for effort.

So here he was, in homeroom at 8:45 AM while Kakashi droned on about their incoming Halloween carving project. Naruto didn’t really care much for Halloween, but the project was enough to get him riled up and excited. 

“Obviously, I don't trust myself with keeping hundreds of pumpkins in my classroom so you all could keep them after presenting. I want you guys to be as creative as possible, so use whatever you can to make it eye catching. Be it paint, aluminum foil, cloth… anything. I’m fine with group work, just make sure everyone has their own individual pumpkin to present. Does everyone understand?”

A chorus of yesses came from the classroom, not including Naruto, whose eyes were glued on a blue paper bird he kept from his birthday gift. AP English was going to be boring without annoying the raven, he knew it.

“Alright. I think I’ve taught you guys about allegories enough to make your heads pound, so today will be a catch up day. I know you all like to talk to your neighbors, so I won't stop you. I’ll just need you to keep your voices down.”

“Can you play music for us?” Some kid asked.

“Sure thing. I’ve got a new playlist ready, so it won't be the same three songs anymore.”

Naruto smiled. Kakashi was probably the chillest teacher in the entire school. His classroom was one where everyone shared mutual respect and relaxation. He made sure that everyone was as destressed as possible, and Naruto loved that. 

He pulled his phone out as the music began to play and swiped a couple of times, his eyes landing on Sasuke’s name. He’d changed the contact name from _Teme_ to _Sasuke_ , since Sasuke wasn’t necessarily a bastard to him anymore. Even worse, he was his _crush_. 

Chatter erupted immediately from the class. People moved their desks to where their friends were sitting, and twisted and turned so that they could see each other. Naruto sat in the far end of the class now, so not many people he was acquainted with sat around him. Still, people crowded around him anyway. He tried to maintain every topic of conversation thrown at him, but soon enough he gave up and announced that he’d be taking a nap for the rest of the period.

Now that he was alone, he decided to text Sasuke. He just wanted to know if Sasuke was okay, really. He was probably just overthinking it, but there was no shame in wanting to be sure.

But how would he start? Naruto flushed a deep red as he watched his thumbs type and delete his message repeatedly. Ever since he and his friends had acknowledged his feelings for Sasuke, anything that related to the brooding teen was ten times more difficult than it needed to be. Even thinning about Sasuke made Naruto blush.

_heyyy sas, you ok?_

Sas? No way. And damn, that amount of y’s made him sound so needy.

_hey sasuke, you alright?_

Ugh, now he just sounded weird. Maybe grammar would help.

_Hey Sasuke .How’re you doing?_

Now he was beginning to sound like his dad!

_hey Sasuke , how are you? hopefully you didn’t get to sick lmao_

Naruto grimaced. Maybe Sasuke cringed whenever Naruto made spelling errors. Maybe he didn’t like when Naruto didn’t capitalize.

_Hey Sasuke, how are you? Hopefully you didn’t get too sick haha_

Naruto frowned. Something was wrong with his message, but he didn’t know what-

_You’ve been typing for minutes now. Spit it out already._

“Damn it,” Naruto facepalmed. He’d been typing for so long that he couldn’t even get a word in before Sasuke noticed.

_Haha sorry about that I was just distracted_

_Are you trying to use grammar?_

Naruto rolled his eyes with a smile on his face.

_Nooooo_

_Suree. Here’s some advice, commas and periods exist._

_Bastard I know that!! I just dont know how to put them._

_Well, at least you got the period right. Don’t worry, I can teach you that the next time we see each other._

Naruto grinned. This was his chance to ask him without it getting awkward.

_Oh yeah,, why arent you in school rn?_

He watched the _typing_ notification flicker a couple of times before completely stopping. Did Sasuke not want him to know? Naruto began to type once more to let Sasuke know that he didn’t have to answer. Sasuke began to type again, though, which prompted Naruto to delete his message.

_Rn?_

Naruto laughed. Of course the teme didn’t know what it meant. 

_LMAO it means right now_

_Oh. LMAO?_

Naruto covered his smiling face. Sasuke really had no idea, did he?

_Laughing my ass off lmaoo dude I think i need to tutor you on acronyms_

He could tell Sasuke was rolling his eyes right now.

_Whatever._

_I’m not in school because of some complications in my personal life. Don’t worry, I’ll be back in no time. Don’t miss me too much._

“So that’s what you’re up to.”

Naruto whipped his head around to meet Kakashi’s one eyed gaze. The eye closed into a lowercase N shaped arc while Naruto placed his phone down.

“What?”

“I was wondering why you were quieter than usual. But now I’ve gotten my answer.”

“You know it’s not polite to spy on your students’ private conversations, right Kakashi Sensei?”

“Yes, yes, of course,” Kakashi said, chuckling and raising his hands up in defense. “I was just a bit surprised to see that you were messaging Sasuke, of all people.”

Naruto frowned. What was so shocking about him texting Sasuke? And how would Kakashi know? Kakashi seemed to notice his confusion, so he decided to elaborate.

“Sasuke’s a very private person. He doesn’t just hand anyone his number.”

He blushed and looked away. It was reassuring to know that he wasn’t just anyone to Sasuke. That still didn’t clear up any confusion he felt towards Kakashi, though.

“How would you know?”

Another chuckle was his response. “He used to stay at my house every weekend. Of course I’d know.”

Naruto’s mouth opened in shock. He didn’t know what he was expecting, but it definitely wasn’t that. 

“Really?”

“Yeah. He also makes the playlists I play for my classes.”

“Huh… I didn’t know that.”

“Mhm. By the way, whatever you’re doing, keep doing it. It’s nice to know that you’re finally pulling Sasuke out of his shell.”

Naruto nodded, smiling as Kakashi gave him a pat on the back and walked away. So far, no one was against him getting closer to Sasuke. But he knew that would change once Sakura and Ino found out. What Shikamaru had said a couple of days ago was bothering him, too. 

_“And when you’re finished with that… Well, just know that it’s going to be one of the biggest drags of your life.”_

It really was, wasn’t it? Naruto groaned and looked back at his phone. The last thing he wanted was drama, and he knew that was the case with Sasuke too. Speaking of Sasuke, Naruto cursed to himself when he realized he hadn’t answered him yet.

_Pff as if you dont miss me already_

An instant reply. _Who said that?_

Naruto’s eyes widened considerably. Did that mean…

_Aw so you miss me?_

_Well, I’d rather be anywhere but here, so I guess so._

That earned a blush from the blond. That still counted as something. His joy was cut short when the bell rang. 

_I guess that means I miss you too lol .the bell just rang so i have to go_

Like last time, the conversation ended when all he saw was a read receipt. He didn’t think any of it, though. Just knowing that Sasuke wanted to be around him was enough to make his entire day. 

Naruto almost skipped to his next class. Behind him, Shikamaru sighed and ran a hand through his ponytail. Naruto was clearly head over heels over Sasuke.

“Why does life have to be so troublesome?”


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe a couple of notes were off-key, but hey, it was still music.

Sasuke grunted as he let go of his last heavy wooden crate and wiped his forehead. Deidara was always like this, making him do work every time he came over. It was his way of making Sasuke pay “rent” for every night he stayed. 

“I’m done,” he announced to no one in particular, tiredly trudging over to the sofa.

“Perfect,” said Deidara.

“God damn, Dei made you lift all that?” Asked Hidan as he attempted to lift the crate.

“Hn,” was the only answer Sasuke could give him before letting himself fall flat on the futon.

After that night with Itachi, he’d contacted the Akatsuki and asked them if he could stay over for a couple of nights. They gleefully accepted, with the exception of Deidara who, for some reason, had a grudge against Itachi that bled into his opinion of Sasuke.

Konan was next to come in with bags of takeout and plopped them on the table. She pulled the Chinese takeout boxes out of the bags and placed them all on top of the table, discarding the bags in some trash can nearby.

“Finally! I’m starving,” exclaimed Hidan as he jumped over the sofa and sat. 

Sasuke groaned at the commotion, but joined them at the table. It smelled really good, and the place they always ordered at knew just how to make the food right. Hidan had already begun smacking at his food and making other questionable noises while Deidara grimaced in disgust.

“Would you mind telling the others to come downstairs, Sasuke?” Asked Konan.

The Uchiha nodded, walking out without hesitation. The Akatsuki were so lazy that they even had their own PA system to talk to each other. He sighed and held the mic closer to his mouth, pressing on the button to speak. He was surprised he even remembered where it was, they always kept it hidden behind stacks of junk they always kept in the so-called _communications room_.

“We’re eating dinner, come downstairs,” was all he said.

His voice was muffled to his own ears, but he knew the others could hear him loud and clear. After all, the amplifiers and speakers they had bought were made by Uchiha Corp. 

“We’re on our way, kid.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. That was definitely Nagato.

Alright, fine, the Akatsuki wasn’t actually lazy. In fact, they were probably some of the most hardworking people he knew. They were all successful in their own way, regardless of their background.

Sasuke made his way back to the dining room, where he found Deidara, Konan, Hidan, and now Sasori and Nagato. He pulled his seat back and sat on it before opening his own box.

“So, Sasuke,” Nagato paused and swallowed his chewed up spring roll. “I was telling everyone about my cousin.”

“Mhm,” Sasuke hummed absentmindedly. Even he could hear how uninterested he sounded.

“It’s almost Halloween, and it’s pretty much tradition for our family to hold a get together slash feast. I’m holding it this year, but I’m thinking about doing something special.”

“Like what?” Sasori inquired.

Nagato shrugged. “I don't know. I want to make it fun for the kid, but I’m not a teenager anymore and I know that things have changed drastically since then. Do you have any ideas, Sas?”

Sasuke slurped his noodles and shrugged. Once he swallowed, he looked up at Nagato as if the answer was obvious.

“No. You’re talking to someone who barely has any friends aside from a bunch of adults that my brother knows.”

Hidan laughed and patted him on the head, earning a glare from the younger Uchiha.

“You poor little outcast. Seriously, though, you’ll die early if you don’t make at least one friend your age. Get out there, you’ve got so much ahead of you!”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. He said “ _barely_ has any friends,” not “has no friends at all.” He dug back into his food, twisting his fork around to eat the noodles like spaghetti. Now that his parents weren't here, he could eat however he wanted.

“Don’t you already have one, Sasuke?”

Everyone turned around to find Kakashi standing by the doorway. Sasuke felt his face slightly heat up, and he was hell bent on blaming it on the hot food in front of him.

“None of your business, Kakashi,” he mumbled and faced away towards the box.

“Sasuke has a _friend?!_ Holy shit, who’s the unlucky person?” Hidan exclaimed. Even Konan had a hand over her mouth.

“Actually, I wouldn’t call him unlucky. They’re practically made for each other,” Kakashi teased.

“Shut _up_ , it’s none of your business,” Sasuke repeated, his face turning redder. 

Deidara raised an eyebrow in recognition. “Are you two talking about Naruto?”

Sasuke choked while Kakashi chuckled. Sasori hurriedly smacked Sasuke’s back in an attempt to get the food out. Obviously, his guess scored a bingo. During all of this, Nagato gaped.

“ _Naruto_? You mean my cousin Naruto?”

“Precisely,” answered Kakashi.

“How the fuck did you even know, Deidara?” Sasuke hissed, wiping the corners of his mouth. Deidara replied with a short laugh.

“Dumbass. You kept texting him and smiling, and I happened to pass by and see who you were talking to.”

Sasuke blushed and looked down. Everyone began to gush on and on about him smiling while he groaned. A question that popped up in his head caused him to look up.

“Wait, Nagato, Naruto’s your cousin?”

“Yeah. Sure, the kid’s a little ball of sunshine but I would have never expected to see you two in the same picture.”

“I know right? They’re just so… different,” commented Hidan.

“Well, you know the saying. Opposites attract.” 

Sasuke cringed. “It’s not like that. Stop making things weird, Kakashi.”

Kakashi sat down on his chair and met Sasuke’s gaze, which avoided his own immediately after.

“Are you afraid he doesn’t swing the same way?”

“What? No,” he mumbled. 

“Well, even if you are, there’s nothing you should worry about. He’s bi,” Nagato pointed out.

That earned Sasuke’s attention. “He is?”

Deidara and Hidan snickered while Sasori shushed them, trying not to laugh as well. Sasuke could be so easy to read sometimes.

“Yeah. The last guy he crushed on had dark hair, too.”

Sasuke’s ears grew red at the last statement. Sure, he enjoyed Naruto’s company but… Did he like him? They’d only met a month ago, but it felt like they knew each other for years. For a brief moment, Sasuke wondered what the last guy Naruto had a crush on looked like, but he shook it off. 

Even if he _did_ like Naruto, there was just too much going on for it to work. Things were already happening with Itachi and Orochimaru, and Naruto had friends that pretty much hated him.

Itachi and Orochimaru were a completely different story, one that he still didn’t understand. From what Itachi showed him, the Ryuchi organization was definitely something he was going to stay away from. His heart urged him to go through with it anyway, for the sake of Itachi, but his head just… couldn’t. 

Him being absent for three days was under Itachi’s instruction. Sasuke had only agreed to it because he’d been threatened with _more_ colorful pictures to view from Itachi’s wonderful envelope. It was times like these that made him question his relationship with his older brother. It was like some knotty, twisted version of love that Sasuke couldn’t untangle himself from.

Maybe a couple of notes were off-key, but hey, it was still music.

Sasuke wondered what Itachi was doing while he was absent. Was he really crazy enough to confront Orochimaru? Probably, but in a completely not-crazy way. Knowing Itachi, he was probably going to pressurize Orochimaru in an extremely businesslike manner.

“Look at him, deep in thought.”

“He’s in _love-e-e.”_

“Teen romance. How beautiful.”

Sasuke winced. His thoughts were far, far more morbid than that, but he guessed it was better than looks of pity. He finally finished the last of his noodles and washed it down with a glass of La Croix. The bubbles tickled his throat, but it was so worth it. 

“I don’t like him like that, and he doesn’t like me like that. We’re just friends,” he gritted out.

“That’s what Sasori said, yeah. And look at us now!” Deidara grinned and pulled Sasori over to him, receiving a lighthearted punch in response.

“Blink twice if you need help, Sasori,” Konan teased. Sasori smiled and replied with two blinks, causing everyone to laugh.

Kakashi smiled under his mask and got up, pulling his sleeveless shirt down. He held his phone up and plugged it to the speaker. 

“What song are you all in the mood for?”

Deidara jumped up. “Stargazing!”

“Boyfriend!” Hidan suggested, a little too enthusiastically.

“Alright, put Stargazing and Boyfriend together and you get Starboy,” said Nagato with a smirk on his face.

“Smart,” replied Kakashi.

Soon enough, the song began to echo around the house and Sasuke felt himself get dragged away for dessert.

He smiled. The Akatsuki hadn't changed a bit.

* * *

“And then what did he say?”

Shikamaru shrugged as he looked upwards towards the clouds. “Not much, he basically told me he was fine with it.”

Temari smiled. “Good. If he started any problems I would have beaten the shit out of him.”

Shikamaru breathed out an intimidated sigh.

“I could definitely see that happening.”

She laughed, intertwining their hands once more as they continued to walk past another park. When she wasn’t acting all tough, Temari was actually a very pleasant person to be around. 

_And cute,_ Shikamaru mused. His eyes darted over to her before immediately flickering back. He was trying his hardest not to bring his strategic abilities into their relationship. She was all do, and don't think while he was all think, and don't do.

“So, Gaara told me you like seafood.”

“Hm, yeah. I like mackerel,” he replied.

“That’s such a weird favorite food, but I’ll take it,” she teased. “Anyways, come with me. I reserved a table at Eighty Two for us.”

“Eighty Two? Are you kidding me?”

Temari gave him a stern look that gave him no room for protest.

“Yes, Eighty Two. Our first date is going to be fun, alright? Which means good, expensive food.”

“Yeah, but… It’s not like our parents own big ass companies like Naruto or the Hyuugas.”

“Come on, Shika. I’m not dumb. I’ve been saving for this for a while,” she said, looking away.

Shikamaru sighed. Temari was probably the most stubborn girl he knew, ever. There was no way he’d ever be able to change her mind.

“You can be so troublesome, you know that? I’m the man here, I should be the one who does this stuff.”

Temari punched him in the shoulder, hard. 

“Ow, what was that for?!”

“When you speak like that, you’re not a man, you’re a _boy_. I’m doing this because I.. really, really like you. Not because I’m trying to one-up you or anything. So you’d better change the way you think about men and women, since I’m living proof that your ideas are wrong.”

Another sigh came out of Shikamaru in response. He was about to answer when a dark figure caught his eye. He raised an eyebrow and squinted in its direction. Now there were two dark shadows in the alley nearby. 

He couldn’t see what exactly was happening, clearly, but something just seemed familiar about the shadows. Both of them had long, dark strands blowing in the wind that reminded him of someone. But who?

“What?”

Shikamaru snapped out of his trance and faced Temari, who was watching him incredulously.

“Huh?”

“Have you even been listening? God, Shikamaru-”

“What? No, I have. I just thought I saw someone.”

Temari blinked and turned around to see, giving Shikamaru the opportunity to look again. The sun finally reached the shadows, revealing two people wearing dark suits. They were talking to each other, seemingly passively, but that wasn’t what Shikamaru was paying attention to.

All his eyes could catch was the glint reflecting off of a metallic surface. It was sharp and silver, gleaming in the sunlight in a way that only someone in his position could see. It was a knife.

“Holy shit,” he breathed, unable to rip his gaze away.

“What?” Temari asked. She was beginning to grow concerned.

Shikamaru grabbed her arm and stepped back, dragging her along. 

“Let’s go. Call Eighty Two and tell them we couldn’t make it today. I’m in the mood for burgers, anyway.”

“What the fuck? Why?”

Shikamaru’s hand squeezed gently around her wrist. 

“I think something bad is about to go down here. I don't know about you, but I think I’d rather we be safe on our first date.”

Temari paled. “What do you mean, something bad?”

“I’ll tell you once we leave. Let’s just go now.”

Temari nodded, letting herself be dragged away. Despite his brain warning him not to, his curiosity got the best of him as he slowly turned around to see what was happening one more time.

Like he’d assumed, one of the men standing there was the physics teacher, Orochimaru. But he wasn’t the one holding the knife.

Instead, it was a man he didn't recognize. He was tall, not incredibly tall, but tall and built enough for ladies to swoon over him from behind. His dark hair was long and tame, held together as a low ponytail.

Shikamaru’s eyes widened when he caught the side of the man’s face. He looked just like someone he knew, aside from the visible tear troughs under his eyes. 

But who? He asked himself as his head faced back to how it was before. Who the hell was this guy, and why was he familiar to Shikamaru? And why the fuck did he have a knife held up against his physics teacher?

Shikamaru froze.

Temari turned around, asking him what was wrong, but that was all white noise to him. His mind was only focused on two names.

Sasuke.

Itachi.

Sasuke’s brother, Itachi.

Sasuke’s brother, Itachi, was going to kill Orochimaru.

And Shikamaru had just been at the scene of the crime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I made Kakashi part of the Akatsuki since it was just easier that way, and it actually seemed kind of interesting lol. I actually got the idea from a dream I had. I get most of my ideas for this fic from my dreams, if I’m going to be honest.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Relax, it’s a voice message. I sent it to you so you could remember what to say.”

“I _told_ you, Dad. I’m not interested!”

“Can you at least consider it?”

Minato asked with hopeful, tired eyes as Naruto let out an exasperated sigh. He didn’t know how many times it would take until Minato finally accepted that he didn’t want anything to do with the company.

“I already have. Look, I’m doing you a favor, okay? If I did end up becoming CEO I’d probably flunk the entire thing.”

“Naruto, you’re the only person I trust with this. Please, just-”

“No! That’s final.”

“Keep your voice down,” Minato ordered. “And last time I checked, the only person who could speak like that was _me_.”

Naruto rolled his eyes. “I don't care. I don't want to have anything to do with anything related to business.”

Lines formed between Minato’s eyebrows. He didn’t like that they were arguing again, but it was inevitable. There were only two more years before Naruto became an adult, and time was running out.

“Naruto, you don’t understand. Namikaze Tech is-”

“Namikaze Tech is _Namikaze_ Tech. I’m Naruto Uzumaki, okay? I don’t _want_ to-”

“You can change it! You can change the name to anything you want-”

“No! I said no!”

“Why?!”

Their voices were loud enough to make a housemaid stop and turn towards the door. It wasn’t common to hear the two arguing, but that was mostly because they lived mostly separate lives.

Naruto laughed humorlessly.

“What do you mean, why? Look at yourself, always busy. Too busy for your own _son_ , apparently-”

“You know that I do what I can to keep a roof above your-”

“ _A_ roof? One? Have you forgotten about our home in Tokyo? In Kyoto? In France, Sweden, and literally every luxurious beach out there?!”

“I do what I can so that you could live comfortably and you know that!”

“I do, I do know that. But is it really at the expense of a vacation once in a while?”

Minato rubbed his temple in frustration. “Naruto, you’re making this much more difficult than it needs to be.”

“No, you are, dad. You’re never home, and when you are it’s only when something important happens. And then you lock yourself in your office right after! The fact that you’re avoiding my question proves it!”

“That’s you twisting the truth, and you know it.”

“You’re _still_ avoiding it! And then you wonder why I left my name as Uzumaki.”

Naruto instantly regretted the words after they came out. The topic of where Naruto stood in the family was touchy, especially with Minato. After all, Naruto had changed it after a large feud with his father, in respect for his mother’s side of the family.

Sure, Minato had no say in what Naruto could and couldn’t do, and he understood that, but he couldn’t help but feel heavily rejected by Naruto’s choice. It caused a lot of dishonor in his name, but the public had respected it a couple of months later.

Not much was known about Kushina Uzumaki’s bloodline since she had been adopted, along with her two sisters. One of those sisters was Nagato’s mother, who was brutally killed in a car crash. The other sister didn’t make it either. Her cause of death wasn’t really specified, but Naruto had heard that it was because of health complications and heartbreak.

Minato was quiet for too long. Guilt and shame began to settle in his stomach, making Naruto feel nauseous. He didn’t mean to disrespect his father, it just… came out. 

“Dad.. I...”

For a moment, his father looked dejected, and somewhat remorseful, but his expression quickly hardened into one he familiarly kept on at work. It was as if he had accepted that Naruto would never accept his side of the family, and that was exactly what Naruto didn’t want him to think. It sent pangs of guilt through him when Minato nodded, giving in.

“I’ll see you at dinner,” he replied, walking past Naruto as the shame finished settling in.

Naruto wanted to tell him no, that he was sorry, but he couldn’t. He guessed Tsunade’s stubbornness was rubbing off on him.

“Damn,” he muttered to himself and walked over to his bag. Maybe basketball could lighten his mood. He debated on calling his friends or someone from the team, but decided against it in the end. 

* * *

The park wasn’t too far from the school, but it was far enough for people from there not to know it existed. Jiraiya used to take him to this park, he remembered as another pang hit him. After Jiraiya had passed, Naruto began to come to this park whenever he felt down, and he had a spot on the swing that he would always sit on whenever he got there.

He dropped his duffel bag on the floor of the court and did a couple reps before beginning to shoot hoops. Two guys, probably from Suna High, came over to him and asked if he wanted to play with them. Naruto wasn’t rude, and they looked pretty good, so he agreed.

Naruto challenged them both to play in a team against him, to which they had obviously won. So they weren’t just pretty good, they were _good_. The taller, taupe grey haired student walked over to him and smirked.

“You’re pretty good, kid. What’s your name?”

“Naruto,” he answered.

“Naruto, huh?” The shorter, younger looking guy with strawberry red hair questioned. 

“Yeah, what about you?”

“I’m Shira,” the taller guy replied. “And this is my friend, Sasori. You a high school student?”

“Y- yeah, I go to Konoha High. What about you two?”

Sasori shook his head. “We’re not high school students, we go to Kugutsu School of the Arts.”

Naruto’s eyes widened. “You guys are college students?!”

Shira laughed and passed Naruto the basketball.

“Yeah, we are. Usually people only think Sasori, here, is the high school student.”

“Damn, you both look young enough to pass as that.”

Sasori smiled and placed a strange, purple ring on one of his fingers. His nails caught Naruto’s attention, they were painted teal, but they were slightly chipped by his time playing basketball.

“Well, we’d better get going. I need to pick my grandma up from my aunt’s. It was fun playing with you, Naruto.”

Naruto nodded and waved. “Bye Sasori, Shira!”

The two adults waved back before walking off and getting into Sasori’s expensive looking car. Naruto watched them converse and drive off, fading into the sunset. Well, it wasn’t really sunset anymore. It was beginning to get dark. He was alone again, now. Naruto kicked a pebble, following it with his eyes as it skipped on the concrete and fell into a hole in the drain.

Naruto sighed and pushed the basketball inside of his duffel bag before walking to the playground. It was kind of funny to see a single person his age go there alone. One would probably assume he was there because he was homeless, or to purchase drugs from some shady pedophile. But no, he was there because he wanted to swing a little bit.

His mood unbelievably worsened when he noticed that someone was already there. They swung back and forth, slowly, as they worked with something in their hands. Naruto stood there for a couple of moments, unsure of what to do. The person was wearing a hoodie, so he couldn’t tell what they looked like.

He decided to go anyway, cracking a knuckle or two on the way. He stopped when he realized the person was smoking, the wisps of gas visibly diffusing in the cool air. Maybe it was an adult stoner. He wondered what could have happened to lead them to become like this.

“Ah… Um, that’s.. You’re sitting.. on my seat,” Naruto trailed off unconfidently. He sounded so dumb, this was a public park. He regretted saying it halfway through.

The person in front of him scoffed and turned to Naruto, pulling their, no, his hood down. He was pale, dark haired, black eyed, attractive… Oh, he was Sasuke.

“You seem to love introducing yourself with that accusation, dobe.”

Naruto sputtered. The weird, stoner looking person was _Sasuke_? His eyes quickly caught sight of the cancer stick, causing him to scrunch his nose up in disgust. He turned back to look at Sasuke’s face. He looked normal, yet out of it.

“Are you high?” he asked, dismissing Sasuke’s observation.

Sasuke shrugged and pushed himself back on the swing, swaying back and forth slightly. “Kinda,” he replied without facing Naruto.

Naruto frowned. He was about to say something, but his attention was caught by the paper frogs in Sasuke’s left hand. They looked.. Less perfect, but more artistic, if that made sense. Sasuke noticed that Naruto was looking at them, and held one up in front of him.

“Take it. Add it to your frog collection.”

Naruto grimaced. “You idiot. I told you that smoking is bad for you.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes and sucked on the cigarette in response, as if he was challenging Naruto. _Challenge accepted, teme._

Naruto glowered and snatched the stick from Sasuke’s hand. “Bastard, listen to me.”

“I _am_ listening. I’m just not accepting it.”

“You should.”

“I know.”

Naruto sat on the swing next to Sasuke’s and dropped the cigarette on the floor, smushing it against the ground with his shoe. 

“Why are you here?”

Sasuke’s unfocused eyes watched his fingers play around with the paper frogs. “Personal stuff. You?”

Naruto sighed. “Me too.”

A hum in acknowledgement came from the other boy as he stopped swinging lazily. 

“Want to talk about it?” Sasuke asked.

Naruto looked at him incredulously. “Not while you’re high.”

Sasuke’s eyes rolled upwards again. “I’m not even that high, I just started.” 

That was an obvious lie. Sasuke looked spent. There was a hazy and dreamy look on his face, one that looked completely out of character for Sasuke. Naruto sighed. He still wanted to get his troubles off his chest.

“Fine, I’ll talk. Only if you stop smoking.”

“That’s impossible. I can't go cold turkey.”

“So it’s that bad, huh?”

Sasuke looked away. “Whatever. Tell me what’s wrong.”

Naruto tapped his foot on the ground and swung slightly. He wondered if Sasuke would care enough to listen. Well, that was a dumb thought, since Sasuke asked him to tell him in the first place. Maybe he’d tell his family, and they’d tear Namikaze Tech down or something. Naruto almost smacked himself. Sasuke wouldn’t do that.

“I… said something hurtful to my dad. Well, let me start from the beginning. It was actually pretty normal at first, we were talking about Halloween, then we moved on to Christmas, and then he began to talk about the future…”

“Uh-huh,” said Sasuke, signaling that he was ready to hear the rest.

“Then he moved on to… Well, I’m his only kid, right? So obviously that makes me the only heir, or whatever, to his company. But.. the thing is, I don’t want to be the heir to a big ass business, or whatever it’s called. It’s just not me, and he doesn’t get that.”

Sasuke nodded. He knew all too well what it was like to be forced into something he didn’t want.

“So, we argued about it, and I screwed up by saying something mean to him. And I feel terrible about it now.”

Sasuke was quiet for a moment, before he turned to Naruto. “Well, since you feel terrible about it, at least know that you didn’t do it out of hate.”

“Yeah, but does _he_ know that?”

“You’re his son. He probably knows that you did it because you got riled up. You’re easy to get a rise out of, anyone who’s met you should know that.” Naruto didn’t know whether or not to feel offended. He was still doubtful, and frustrated.

“I don't know. It’s like… We live together, but we don't really know each other. He’s always in that stupid office of his, working for hours. We barely talk, and when we do, it either has to do with his business or important dates. And when we’re around others, it just… seems fake. Like, we don’t talk, but when we’re in front of family or friends, he acts like the best father to ever exist.”

“So your relationship with him feels scripted, is what you’re saying.”

“Yeah. It’s like he only does it for the public.”

Sasuke’s eyes softened. “So you need more time with your dad, is what you’re saying.”

“I.. I guess so, yeah. I just want him to see me as his _son_ , someone he should spend time with. I want him to accept the choices I make for myself and not force his ideals onto me.”

“Bingo.”

Naruto looked at Sasuke with an inquisitive expression on his face. “What?”

“You want him to see you as his son. You want him to spend more time with you and learn to accept the choices you make for yourself.”

“Yeah, I do.” Naruto watched him with hopeful eyes. Did Sasuke have a plan?

“Don’t look at me like that. Telling me isn’t going to magically fix your problem.”

Naruto looked down at the ground. “I.. knew that-”

“Shut up, I’m not finished.” 

Naruto glared at Sasuke, who wasn’t looking in his direction anymore. Sasuke was staring up at the streetlight a couple of feet away instead, the light reflecting off his pitch black eyes.

Sasuke continued. “Telling me won’t fix your problem, but telling your father will be a step in the right direction.”

“Are you crazy? I just told you, he-”

“I _said_ , I’m not finished.”

Naruto glared and crossed his arms. Was Sasuke stupid? Naruto had just been complaining about his father, just telling him would be… weird. And he didn’t think Minato would listen anyway.

“I know what you’re thinking. You think it won't make a difference.” That earned a nod from Naruto, who was still silent. “That’s why I said it would be a step in the right direction. Your father… doesn’t seem like an entirely bad person. He probably doesn’t understand how you’re feeling. Maybe he’s never been in your position and doesn’t think about the way you’re affected by what he does.”

Naruto looked away. Sasuke was on dangerous ground, making so many assumptions like that.

“Even if I’m wrong, it’s always better to let someone know.”

“But… so many things can go wrong,” Naruto admitted. 

Sasuke scoffed. “Where did your balls go? You’d usually be the first person to speak up to an adult.”

“Well, yeah, but he’s my _dad._ ”

“Exactly. I know it’s difficult, but talking to him is the only way things could get better. And talking doesn’t mean arguing,” he added. “What I mean by talking is telling him exactly how you feel. And what you want,” he explained.

Naruto nodded, understanding where the Uchiha was coming from. He decided to repeat what he said earlier, as practice.

“I want… him to see me as his son. To understand me and spend more time with me. To learn to accept the choices I make for myself..”

“And how do you feel?”

“I feel like I don't… matter enough to him. Like I’m only around for the future of the company. It feels like he’d only begin to care if something terrible happened to me, and that scares me,” he whispered at the end, as if someone from Namikaze Tech was listening to their conversation.

A muffled click caused Naruto to whirl in Sasuke’s direction.

“Relax, it’s a voice message. I sent it to you so you could remember what to say.”

Naruto smiled. Of course Sasuke would remember to do something like that. He was interrupted by a honk from across the street. He turned to face a familiar black car, Kotetsu’s car. 

“Shit, that’s my ride,” he stood. Before doing anything, he smiled brightly at Sasuke and pulled the pallid boy up. “Thanks a lot for that, Sasuke-bastard.”

“Hn.”

“Do you need a ride back home? Kotetsu can drive you.”

Sasuke shook his head. “My… brother’s picking me up. I’ll be fine.”

Naruto didn’t miss the hesitant tone in Sasuke’s voice. He didn’t want to leave Sasuke by himself, but he knew he had to. “Alright. And I changed my mind. Since you can’t stop smoking completely, I want you to at least try doing something else whenever you feel the urge to do it.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’ll try. See you tomorrow, dobe. And good luck.”

Naruto grinned and half-hugged Sasuke before running off to Kotetsu, jumping on each colorfully vandalized stair, the chalk staining the soles of his sneakers, and making his way to the car. He sent Sasuke one last glance before entering. 

He frowned to himself. Their entire conversation had been about him. Sasuke really knew how to avoid talking about himself. As the car began to move, Naruto’s blue eyes remained on Sasuke. He needed to find a way to make the raven open up to him.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit, what have I gotten myself into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Hopefully my punctuation isn't as horrendous in this chapter like the other ones. I promiseeee it's because I always copy paste my chapters from Google Docs onto here. And I never notice until days after. It always looks so perfect after I copy and paste it, but then I realize how bad it looks afterwards lmao. Well, hopefully this chapter has better punctuation haha.

_“I want… him to see me as his son. To understand me and spend more time with me. To learn to accept the choices I make for myself..”_

_“And how do you feel?”_

_“I feel like I don't… matter enough to him. Like I’m only around for the future of the company. It feels like he’d only begin to care if something terrible happened to me, and that scares me.”_

Click.

_“I want… him to see me as his son. To understand me and spend more time with me. To learn to accept the choices I make for myself..”_

_“And how do you feel?”_

_“I feel like I don't… matter enough to him. Like I’m only around for the future of the company. It feels like he’d only begin to care if something terrible happened to me, and that scares me.”_

Click.

Naruto cleared his throat, repeating the words in his head. 

He just couldn’t do it. He didn’t know why the words always vanished from his mind a couple of seconds after he recited them. He figured he was just nervous, but it was still frustrating.

Naruto smacked his cheeks with both hands and shook his head. He was going to do this. He and Minato couldn’t just keep arguing about the company’s future. There were still doubts lurking in the corner of his mind, but he paid them no heed as he walked out of his room.

The walk was silent, yet nerve wracking. All he could think about was if everything went wrong. Naruto was quiet as he sat on his seat in the dining room. Minato clearly hadn’t told Tsunade, since she was making small talk as if nothing had happened.

“Hey, brat. We’re having udon, are you excited?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah.”

Tsunade gave him a light punch on the shoulder before taking a generous amount of the noodles with some tongs and putting them into her bowl. Naruto grabbed his own tongs and did the same, avoiding Minato’s gaze at all costs. This was much harder than he’d anticipated, and Tsunade was beginning to notice.

The dinner began awkwardly. Tsunade had attempted to start a conversation, but the other two were too hesitant to continue. The tension was way too cloudy for her taste, so she cleared her throat loudly.

“Alright, stop eating. Both of you.”

Minato sighed, placing his chopsticks down, while Naruto kept them in his hand, not moving. 

“What’s up with you two? You’re too quiet.”

The two of them remained silent and looked away. Surprisingly, it was Minato who answered.

“Just a disagreement, nothing to worry about,” he replied flatly before moving to take his chopsticks.

Tsunade sighed dramatically. “Again? You two need to sort this out. Put your hand back, Minato.”

“I’ve already tried,” mumbled Naruto. “He’s just stubborn.”

“That’s it, I’ve had enough of this rebelliousness coming from you.”

“What do you mean, rebelliousness?! I want to live my life without you telling me what to do, that’s not fucking rebelliousness!”

“ _Language_ , Naruto,” interrupted Tsunade. “And quit that, Minato. You’re acting childish.”

They both quieted as Tsunade continued.

“Obviously this has to do with Naruto’s future. Both of you will explain what’s on your minds, and then we’ll come to a conclusion, okay?”

Minato sighed wearily and nodded, taking a sip of some wine. Naruto sat back and crossed his arms.

“Minato, you go first. Tell us what’s on your mind.”

He cleared his throat and sat forward. “I think that Naruto should consider the possibility of becoming-” He put his finger up before Naruto could interject. “-CEO. He said he has, but it’s clear that he hasn’t.”

Naruto rolled his eyes, which Minato noticed immediately.

“Please, Naruto. I only want the best for you.”

“I know you do, dad. But there’s other ways aside from me being-”

“I just want you to consider-”

“You don't!” Naruto slammed his palms on the table and stood. “You don’t want me to just consider, you want me to approve it! You keep saying consider, consider, consider, but I already have! And I’ve decided against it-”

“Naruto, keep your voice down!” Tsunade snapped. “And sit down. This isn’t a boxing match, there’s no need to yell.”

“If I don’t, none of you would listen to me. If I say I’m upset with something, all you’ll fucking do is buy me cars, a vacation, a new TV, _anything_ but what I really want!”

“What _do_ you want, then?!” Minato finally broke, projecting his voice to Naruto’s volume.

“Isn’t it obvious? Are you so goddamn clueless that you can't even tell what a son wants from his own father?!” 

Minato took a deep, shaky breath in an attempt to compose himself and slowly sat back down, burying his head in his hands.

“ _No_ ,” he whispered. “It isn’t obvious.”

“Do you want to know why it isn’t obvious?” Naruto asked angrily. He knew that Minato was finally getting it, but it wasn’t enough. He wanted the businessman to finally understand where he was coming from.

Minato responded with silence, and Tsunade cleared her throat. Naruto became agitated. She always took Minato’s side, so this was going to be harder for him.

“Tell him, Naruto.”

Naruto’s eyes widened as he turned to look in her direction. She looked worn out, yet understanding. He guessed she finally became conscious of how he felt.

Naruto took a deep breath and began.

“It isn’t obvious because you’re never around. You barely know anything about me, aside from the obvious things. And I know almost nothing about you. It makes me feel like I feel like I don't… matter enough to you. And when we do interact, it’s always about the company. And it makes me feel like I’m only around for the future of the company.”

Minato’s forehead was on the table now. Naruto didn’t need to see his face to know what was happening. He continued anyway, he needed to get this out. 

“Before, I didn’t know if it made me selfish if I wanted to spend more time with you, since I knew you were hardworking and needed time for yourself. But… it’s ridiculous now. All of my friends talk about how they hang out with their dads, and the fun stuff they always do, and then when they look at me they get _quiet_. As if I don’t even have a dad.”

Everything was quiet now, aside from his voice, which got even quieter. He was surprised it could even get to that level. He was always the loudest person in the room. 

“... I’m sorry,” finally replied Minato. “I don’t.. I didn’t know that was how you felt. You were always…” 

Naruto laughed hollowly. “Smiling?”

Minato raised his head and ran fingers through his hair, which was disheveled from his last position.

“Yeah.”

Naruto sat down and hugged himself with his own arms. It felt good to get that out, but it was Minato’s response that was worrying him. He opened his mouth, but Tsunade placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I know you two are tired, but this conversation is still going. An apology won't solve anything, and Minato is clueless. So tell him, what do you want, Naruto?”

Naruto braced himself as the words finally reappeared in his mind. Tears threatened to roll down his cheeks as he swallowed thickly. Determined to get the words out, he finally faced his father. Blue finally met blue as Naruto began to speak.

“I want you to see me as your son. I want you to understand me and spend time with me. Teach me things. Teach me how to fish, a- and if you don’t know how, we could learn together. I want you to go on vacation with me during school breaks, hang out with me on the weekend. And… I want you to learn to accept the choices I make for myself.”

Minato’s eyes were unsure, as if he was going to reply with a “but…”

“I know… it’s a lot to ask. We’ve lived sixteen years without doing any of that. But I want you to at least try. At least accept that the business world just isn't for me.”

Tsunade and Naruto watched Minato with hopeful eyes. He stood slowly, and instead of straightening his suit, or fixing his hair, or walking up to his office and ignoring what Naruto had to say like the countless other times he had, he walked around the dark oak dining table and stood in front of Naruto. Naruto’s lips tightened. He didn’t know what to expect from this, so he stood rigid and rooted to the floor. 

Naruto’s heart caught in his throat when he realized that Minato had hugged him. Sincerely. There were no cameras or reporters around them, it was just the three of them like always. His lips began to tremble a moment after, due to the sheer anxiety churning in his stomach.

Minato pulled away, but kept his hands on Naruto’s shoulders. His eyes were soft and caring, as per usual, but this time they were emotional. 

“It’ll be difficult.. But I will. The last thing I want is to hurt you, and it seems like I’ve already done enough of that. I’m proud of you for being able to tell me. I don’t want to know what would have happened if I continued to be unaware.”

Minato closed his eyes. He reopened them two seconds after, determination vivid on his features. 

“Let me treat you to ramen on Saturday. I’ll come up with a plan. As you know, my schedule is tight, but you’re my son. I know I should have done this sooner, but I will try my hardest to fix this.”

Naruto couldn’t stop a large smile from forming on his face. He nodded gleefully and wrapped his own arms around his father. Minato was trying, and that was all Naruto needed. Tsunade smiled at the occurrence and shifted her entire weight on one foot. She crossed her arms and pouted lightheartedly.

“Come on, where’s my hug?”

The two males laughed as she hopped in. Tsunade ruffled both of their blond locks and smiled. They really did mean the world to her. 

* * *

“I love you.”

“Mhm.”

“Like seriously, marry me. I love you.”

“So it went that well, huh?”

“Yes, and it was all thanks to you. Seriously, you’re a blessing.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. It was nice to know that his advice didn’t ruin Naruto’s relationship with his family. 

_Maybe I should take my own advice_ , he told himself, but shook it off. His family wasn’t like Naruto’s.

“So, what now? Is he okay with you choosing not to become the CEO?”

Naruto nodded. “Kind of, I guess. He’s learning how to be more accepting of that stuff.”

Sasuke snorted. “So he could be more accepting of you being bisexual than that, that’s funny.”

That earned a laugh from Naruto. “Seriously! Like, usually it’s- wait, how did you know?”

“What?”

“How did you know I was bi? I never told you.”

Sasuke blanched. Yikes, he didn’t mean to get that out. 

“Uh, you... Well, your cousin told me,” he admitted. There was no shame in telling the truth.

Of course, he was going to leave out the context, since that was pretty embarrassing.

“So you _do_ know my cousin, I knew it!”

“You did?”

“Yeah, I saw him with your brother at my birthday party. I was pretty confused.”

“My _brother_ was at your _party?”_ Sasuke asked disbelievingly. He recalled something about Itachi going to a party, but he had no idea it was Naruto’s.

Naruto laughed. “Yeah. It was pretty funny. How do you know my cousin?”

Sasuke shrugged. “He and Itachi are friends. I didn’t really have many friends before, so Itachi’s friends were mine as well.”

“Huh. The world is such a small place.”

“Yeah.”

“So, what about you?” Naruto asked, with a playful smirk.

“What about me?” 

“Stupid. What’s your sexuality?”

“Oh, uh-” Sasuke paused. What was his sexuality? Well, he definitely liked Naruto, and girls were.. Well, he didn’t know much about girls except for the last time being a disaster.

Naruto looked at him expectantly.

“I, uh, I’m not sure yet. I don’t like girls and boys alike, so-”

“Asexual?”

“What?”

“Like, you’re not into anyone.”

“No, no. I mean, I don’t care what the gender is, I guess. As long as I like the person.”

“Oh,” answered Naruto. He didn’t really know much about sexualities aside from the fact that he liked girls and boys alike, so he decided not to give anymore suggestions. His heart leapt at the thought that maybe he had a chance.

Sasuke kicked a pebble in the courtyard and took a sip of his water. He noticed that Naruto’s idiot looking friends were a couple of yards away, so he nudged the blond.

“Huh?”

“Look. Your friends.”

As if it was scripted, the group of boys noticed the two of them right away. The one with red marks on his cheeks (for some reason), Kiba, found them first, and began to jog towards them. The others followed, but Shikamaru was hesitant. For a moment, he even looked troubled. He followed anyway, quiet as Kiba began to yap on and on about things that Sasuke didn’t pay attention to.

“Sasuke Uchiha, right? Nice to meet you, dude,” said Kiba.

“Hn,” he answered in acknowledgement. 

“Hey guys, what’s up?”

Kiba and Neji sat while Shikamaru kept a considerable amount of space away from them, tapping on a dark screen. The screen of a phone turned off, Sasuke noticed. He narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing him from his peripheral for a moment.

“Meh, we were bored. And then we found you, so here we are,” Kiba explained.

“We were going to Ichiraku’s later. Would you two like to come with us?” Neji asked, eyeing Sasuke for a moment. Sasuke remained aloof and inscrutable. Was going there worth it? Well, it meant less time to spend with Itachi, but it also meant being somewhere with too many people.

“Hell yeah! I could use some ramen,” Naruto exclaimed, as expected of him.

All eyes, aside from Shikamaru, were on Sasuke now, so he decided to just accept it. “Okay.” _Only for Naruto_.

“Sweet! I miss their burgers,” said Kiba. “Do you still have the coupon, Shikamaru?”

Shikamaru’s eyes were still glued on his phone. He wasn’t paying attention to the conversation. The troubled look was back, which made Sasuke skeptical. He probably didn’t want to be around him, which he understood, not many people who had gone to middle school with him wanted to be around him.

“Earth to Shikamaru-u-u,” Kiba waved in front of Shikamaru’s face, causing his head to snap up. 

“What?”

“Do you still have the coupon?”

“Oh, no. I spent it with Temari.”

“Aw man, it’s okay though, my sister gave me money so it’s my treat,” announced Kiba.

“Sounds good,” said Neji.

Naruto turned to Sasuke and flashed him a smile, but he looked more timid than usual. Sasuke quirked his lip and adjusted his tie. 

As the others continued to speak, Shikamaru stole occasional glances of the Uchiha. Like he expected, he hadn’t seen Orochimaru once today. Which only meant…

Sweat trickled down Shikamaru’s forehead. Was Sasuke in danger? Or did he know what Itachi was up to? Shikamaru gulped. He hoped that wasn’t the case, since there was a chance that Naruto was going to be harmed. He wondered why he hadn’t told anyone yet. He wasn’t friends with Sasuke or anything, so there wasn’t anything he could lose from telling the police. Shikamaru blamed it on his laziness.

The bell ended up ringing halfway through the group’s conversation, so Shikamaru got ready to leave. Naruto, Kiba and Neji went their separate ways, and Sasuke had a class in the other direction. He waved goodbye to all of them and walked towards his own class, his dress shoes clacking against the pavement.

Shikamaru’s heart began to beat a little faster when he realized that Sasuke was still behind him. Confrontation was the last thing he wanted, but it was inevitable. He stopped in his tracks and turned around. The best thing to do now was act oblivious.

Sasuke stopped right after he did, a bit taken aback by the fact that Shikamaru had noticed him. They were facing each other now, suspiciously right next to the glass case displaying the awards and records of Konoha High. Sasuke’s face solidified into its usual expression again, one that Shikamaru had seen countless times.

“Why are you following me?” Shikamaru questioned.

“I wanted to talk to you,” Sasuke answered. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow as an invitation for Sasuke to continue. 

“I’ve noticed that you’ve been spying on me. Why?”

Aaand, busted. Shikamaru sighed. They were going to be here for a while, which meant he wasn’t going to be at class anytime soon.

“I wouldn’t call it spying.”

“Hn. You knew that my next class wasn’t this way, which means you know my schedule.”

Shikamaru visibly winced. Damn the guy for being smart.

“Alright, fine. I was…”

“Monitoring me?”

“Sure, I guess,” he admitted.

“Why?”

“I’ve just been a bit concerned about something.”

“Let me guess,” Sasuke started. Shikamaru’s heart began to pound. Sasuke knew? How? Maybe both Uchihas had been there. Maybe Sasuke was complicit. Hundreds of ideas flew around in his head before he cleared them all away. He was being too paranoid.

“You think I have some ulterior motive for being friends with Naruto.”

Shikamaru paused. _What?_ Friendship drama was definitely… not what he had in mind, but hey, that was fine by him.

“You caught me,” he lied.

“There’s nothing to worry about. I’m not… the person you think I am anymore, so there’s no need to continue.”

“You can't blame me for thinking it, y’know. Middle school and all,” Shikamaru drawled. This was the first time the raven was addressing it, so he guessed he could drag it on.

Sasuke looked uncomfortable. His eyes avoided his gaze, now, and his hands found his pockets.

“... Yeah. Middle school wasn’t the best.”

God, how could people even deal with drama? Shikamaru couldn’t even handle listening about it, it was too troublesome. To think Sakura and Ino were heartbroken over this guy.

“Say… Orochimaru’s your physics teacher, right?”

“Yes, he is. Why?”

“Was he present?” Shikamaru asked. He had to know this, he needed confirmation.

“Yes. He taught my class today,” Sasuke answered.

Shikamaru froze. How… was Orochimaru still here? He was absolutely sure that he’d seen Itachi Uchiha holding a knife up to Orochimaru, so why? Sasuke couldn’t have been lying, it was just dumb to assume he was. Was he imagining the whole thing?

“Are you okay?”

“Huh? Oh, yes. I’m… fine, sorry.”

All of a sudden, Sasuke looked interested in the conversation. As if the topic of Orochimaru caused something to spark in him.

“Why did you ask? Is there something you need from him?”

“Ah, no. I was just asking.”

“Are you sure?”

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. Sasuke was definitely digging for something. He decided to play along with it, since Sasuke was becoming more and more suspicious by the second. He looked in both directions to check if anyone was there, and shook his head. 

“... No. But I can’t tell you here.”

Sasuke’s eyes were a bit wider than usual now. Shikamaru internally high-fived himself. _Now_ he was getting somewhere.

“I know somewhere private, follow me,” said Sasuke. Shikamaru nodded and let himself be taken to wherever Sasuke was taking him.

_Holy shit, what have I gotten myself into?_


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto cheered and grabbed Sasuke, lifting him up with both arms. “You caught your first weasel!”

The projection room above the auditorium was the last place Shikamaru had expected to be led to. He’d never been here before. The equipment was large and spread out, which meant that he and Sasuke had to do some obstacle-dodging to get through. Shikamaru’s heart thumped against his ribcage in anticipation of what Sasuke had to say.

He knew very well how unplanned this entire thing was. Orochimaru didn’t even teach Shikamaru’s class. But he had to figure out what the connection was between Sasuke and the snake-like teacher. Shikamaru scolded himself internally. Why was he even entertaining this? He wasn’t some detective like his father.

Still, that didn’t stop him from taking a seat on one of the large desks, in between two projectors. He avoided the unwashed mugs, probably owned by the teachers, gross, and sat open-legged with his arms crossed. Sasuke stood in front of him with his hands placed at his sides.

“This is the place. It’s a little uncomfortable, but rarely anyone comes here.”

“Alright,” began Shikamaru. Where would he start? He had no idea what to begin with.

“You said you needed something from him. What was it?” Sasuke asked.

Shikamaru took a deep breath. “It’s, uh, a piece of paper. A contract.”

He’d never seen Sasuke look so interested in something before. He looked kind of hesitant, for a moment, before nibbling on his lower lip and looking away.

“Was it… in a purple envelope?”

Shikamaru fought the urge to kiss himself. He’d hit it right on the bullseye. _Okay, you can do this, Shika. Just act hesitant._

“... Yeah. It was.”

Sasuke’s narrow, ebony eyes were wide and curious. His lips parted slightly in astonishment. _Keep up with the act, Shika,_ he told himself, finding a cup full of pencils and crayons and keeping his gaze glued onto that instead.

“I… don’t think you should give it to him,” Sasuke mumbled tentatively.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“It’s not what you think it is. I know it sounds tempting, but…”

What the _hell_ was Sasuke saying? Tempting? A corner of Shikamaru’s lip curled upwards, but it returned to its usual state in no time.

“I think I know what you’re talking about,” whispered Shikamaru. _You have no idea what he’s talking about_. 

Sasuke’s eyes darted around, as if he was paranoid that people could hear them. Shikamaru grimaced. Sasuke had gotten kind of strange since their days at Konoha Academy.

Sasuke finally stopped, and took a couple of hesitant steps towards Shikamaru. He was quiet, nothing could be heard aside from the whirring coming from the machines.

“... You’ve seen them too? The pictures,” Sasuke whispered under his breath. God, the Uchiha could be so gullible sometimes.

But Shikamaru was still unsure. Maybe this was all a trap, maybe Sasuke knew that he was bluffing. Well, there was no turning back now. What a drag.

“Yeah, I have,” said Shikamaru finally.

No noise escaped Sasuke. The air was empty and quiet. Shikamaru tensed. He was being scrutinized by the raven haired student. Dark eyes scanned Shikamaru, unsure and nervous, with a hint of excitement. Excitement that Shikamaru could barely recognize as the feeling that came when someone finally understood you.

Sasuke let out a breath he’d been holding in and plopped down on a chair. “Has it been driving you crazy too?”

Shikamaru applauded his father for passing his detective genes down to him. He didn’t think he’d be able to pull this off, if he was honest. Sasuke always seemed so… unbreakable. Like he kept a wall all around him, one that Shikamaru would be unable to infiltrate.

“Yeah, it has. To think that Orochimaru…” Shikamaru trailed off. Judging from Sasuke’s reaction, the pictures were probably shocking and unbelievable.

“Exactly. I… had no idea there were other people that knew. I thought it was just me and my brother.”

Shikamaru chuckled, but it wasn’t from amusement. It was from triumph. He’d finally found the connection between Itachi and Orochimaru.

There was a secret about Orochimaru and a purple envelope that Sasuke and Itachi were withholding. 

“Me too. I thought I was the only one who knew.”

“How did you find out?”

“I, uh, it’s a long story.” The long story card was dangerous, so this was going to be the only time he used it.

“... I see. I guess it was a long story for me too. Tch, he offered the same thing to my brother, and he refused, so now he thought he could convince me.”

“Desperate, huh?”

“Yes. He even tried to _blackmail_ me.”

Shikamaru’s eyes doubled in size. The amount of information he was acquiring from this conversation was outstanding.

“He did? With what?” Shikamaru blurted out.

Shit.

He wasn’t supposed to say that.

“He thought he could use the truth about my br-”

Sasuke suddenly stopped, his skin turning sheet white. Shikamaru guessed the Uchiha hadn’t thought carefully about what he was going to say. Shikamaru opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when Sasuke raised a hand to clasp over his own mouth, as if covering it would somehow erase what he had said. 

The truth about what?

The truth about _what?!_

He couldn’t let Sasuke leave, he had to find out. But Sasuke looked terrified. Forcing him to stay was out of the question. Sasuke would never trust him again. But damn it, he was losing his mind over this. After all, he was a teenage boy, and teenage boys got obsessive over things sometimes. It just didn’t help when it happened to have to do with crime.

Shikamaru stood up slowly, causing Sasuke’s eyes to become even wider. Damn, he wasn’t even going to do anything. He wondered for a moment if it had to do with Sasuke’s father’s company. It had been rumored that Fugaku Uchiha had orchestrated a couple of shady schemes for his business, anyway.

Sasuke took a step back, then another.

“... I have to go,” he whispered, in horror. 

Sasuke was gone before Shikamaru could refuse.

* * *

Naruto rested his chin on the wooden table painted red in front of him. Nobody was at Ichiraku’s now, aside from him. Kiba’s mom had called earlier, telling Kiba that she needed him home right after school. So now it was just going to be him, Shikamaru, Sasuke and Neji.

Scratch that, it was going to be him, Sasuke and Neji. Shikamaru had just sent him a text that he wouldn’t be able to make it. Naruto sighed. They invited him, and now all of them were bailing out. 

Naruto sighed and looked around, leaning over to see the arcade. Flashing lights colored the arcade room blue and red and loud music and chatter bounced around. It smelled like delicious, fried salty food and milkshakes. Ichiraku’s was probably his favorite place, ever. And the ramen there was crazy good.

All of a sudden, his phone began to ring. The shrill sounds of his cell phone snapped him out of his bored trance and prompted him to press accept and raise the screen to his ear. The contact name read _Neji_.

“Hey. Where the hell are you? I’ve been waiting.”

_“I’m not coming. Have fun on your date, Naruto.”_

“Eh?!”

Click.

Naruto blinked. Did they all not come on purpose? Of course they did. They were definitely the types of friends that would pull a trick like that. Which meant now it was only going to be him and Sasuke.

“Damn it. I should have known…”

“Should have known what?”

Naruto looked up to find Sasuke, dressed in a dark blue sweater vest on top of a collared shirt along with black pants. He wore a large overcoat above it all. At least he knew how to dress. His face shone in multiple colors that projected themselves onto his pale skin from the LED lights scattered across the lounge.

“Sasuke! You’re here,” exclaimed Naruto. “Finally, sit down.”

Sasuke tossed his bag onto the leather booth and sat across from Naruto. He looked around before his eyes settled on the blond.

“Where are the others?”

“They couldn’t make it. Sorry.”

Sasuke sighed in relief. “Don’t apologize. I wasn’t looking forward to seeing them anyway.”

“Of course you weren’t,” Naruto laughed. “I promise they’re cool, they’re just, a little…”

“Dynamic?”

“Sure, whatever that means.”

Sasuke snorted and picked up the menu. Naruto followed suit. He knew exactly what he was going to choose. He flipped the page over, finding the ramen section and grinned. Ichiraku’s miso ramen was his favorite. He looked up to see Sasuke’s reaction, which was quite amusing. Sasuke looked perplexed by the options, one could say he was even disgusted.

“Everything’s… fried.”

“Not _everything_ , look.” Naruto grabbed Sasuke’s menu and flipped it. “See? Salads, ramen, eggs and bacon-”

“Those are fried.”

Naruto blinked. “They are?”

“Eggs and bacon. Usuratonkachi, eggs and bacon are fried.”

Naruto flushed feverishly in embarrassment and facepalmed. “You know what I meant, bastard.”

Sasuke chuckled and shook his head at Naruto’s antics. 

“I guess I’ll go with whatever you’re getting.”

Naruto gasped dramatically and pointed at the menu. “Miso ramen. I swear on my life that you’ll love it.”

“Dumbass, what if I don't like ramen?”

“No one doesn’t like ramen!”

Naruto laughed and Sasuke smiled. There was something off about Sasuke, some weird, dazed look in his eyes. He didn’t miss the way Sasuke kept rubbing at the side of his head and his temporal ridges.

“Are you okay, teme?”

“Yeah, just a headache. Don’t worry about it.”

Naruto frowned. “Famous last words,” he muttered, but the mood quickly lightened when a waiter came over to take their order.

“Are you two ready to order?”

“Yes! Two miso ramens, please.”

The waiter nodded and jotted the order down. “Any drinks?”

Naruto looked at Sasuke who shrugged. “Just water will be fine for me.”

“Hmm, I’ll go with… Pepsi. Thanks.”

Sounds of graphite on paper continued before the waiter thanked them and walked away. He turned back to look at Sasuke, who now was leaning his head on his palm and closing his eyes.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Sasuke? You look like you’re in pain.”

“I told you, it’s a headache. I’ll be fine once I’m distracted.”

“Distracted… Hey, did you bring paper?”

Sasuke blinked and looked at his bag. “Yeah, I always bring colored paper.”

“Great,” said Naruto, grinning. Sasuke zipped open his bag and dug in, taking out a small stack of kami, or origami paper. 

“Is this okay?”

“It’s perfect,” answered Naruto. He took a piece of paper and pressed his lips together. Sasuke was about to put the rest back inside, but Naruto stopped him.

“Teach me how to make origami, Sasuke-teme.”

“... Really? Since when did you care about that stuff?” Questioned Sasuke, ignoring the insult at the end.

“Since I met you. Plus, it looks cool and I want to impress my friends.”

Sasuke blushed a light pink and looked down, feeling flattered. No one had ever asked him to teach them the things he was interested in. Actually, he wasn’t sure people even knew what he was interested in.

“Okay, I’ll teach you.”

Naruto beamed, his eyes crinkling as he held his own orange paper with both hands. Sasuke took another orange sheet of paper with two slender fingers and moved it to his other hand.

“First, I’ll teach you how to make a fox, since you picked orange.”

Naruto’s smile faltered, and he looked away. “Can we do another animal? I’m not really fond of foxes.”

Sasuke paused before nodding. “Okay. You pick.”

“Hm, what about… a toad?”

“What’s up with your obsession with amphibians?”

“Whatever! My godfather liked toads, so I want to make a toad.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “Well, there’s barely any difference between a toad and a frog so we’ll just make frogs colored differently.”

“What do you mean, barely any difference? Frogs have longer legs!”

“ _Okay,_ then we’ll make frogs with shorter legs. Happy?”

Naruto huffed and crossed his arms. “Fine. Now teach me!”

“Be patient.”

* * *

Miso ramen.

God, Naruto loved miso ramen.

“Whoever invented thish shit needsh a shtatue,” Naruto said with his mouth full.

Sasuke grimaced in disgust. “Don't speak while you eat, dobe.”

Naruto squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed the entire mouthful of noodles. Sasuke watched in shock at how Naruto could fit all of that ramen inside of his throat. A couple of paper toads were scattered across the table, and there was a clear distinction of whose was whose toad. Some green frogs and blue-and-white butterflies were also mixed in the bunch.

Sasuke slurped his own ramen neatly, unlike Naruto, who had broth dribbling down the corner of his mouth. He felt the sudden urge to lick it off, which he almost punched himself for. What was wrong with him?

“I told you ramen was good.”

“I never said it was bad.”

“You acted like you thought it was.”

Sasuke’s foot bumped into Naruto’s leg and retracted backwards right away to avoid Naruto’s kick. Naruto scrunched his nose up and shifted to kick Sasuke back.

“Teme, what was that for?”

“No reason, just felt like it.”

“Asshole!”

“Dunce.”

Naruto laughed, infecting Sasuke with his happiness. Sasuke smiled and bit back his own laugh before it slowly faded.

Being around Naruto was more than enough to distract him from everything that was going on. He’d almost broken down right in front of Shikamaru earlier. It was rather shocking to know that Shikamaru knew about the Ryuchi group, but he was so damn close to ruining _everything_. He couldn’t believe how stupid he was, almost telling the son of the lead _detective_ that his brother had aided in a mass murder.

His head began to pound again, jolts of sharp pain making their way down his nervous system. Sasuke’s brain was clearly agitated. Uncertainty clouded his heart as he wondered if anything was going to happen. He hoped that wouldn’t be the case.

Sasuke bit the inside of his cheek, hard. The last time something that bad occurred was in middle school, a month or two after seventh grade began. Maybe being reminded of the incident was causing him to relive the symptoms of his brain trauma.

They finished their meal a couple of minutes later. Naruto let out a loud belch which caused Sasuke to cringe and cover his ears. Naruto laughed and shook Sasuke back and forth.

“It’s normal for a person to burp!”

“At least do it politely!”

“Whatever, let's play some arcade games.”

“I barely even know how to-”

Naruto grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him towards the arcade. “Who cares? I’ll teach you, this time.”

Sasuke blushed, almost as red as the LED lights flashing in front of them. They reached a game called Weasel Catcher, which reminded him a lot of Itachi for some reason. The cartoon weasel was kind of ugly, but he paid it no attention. The game didn’t look that difficult, but he could barely even play pacman.

“Okay, so the point of this game is to find the weasel and catch it. _But_ , the weasel tries to blend in with everyone else in the game, so you’ll often have to look closely to find it slipping up. So, let’s say I’m the weasel, right?”

Sasuke nodded.

“Let’s say I’m a weasel, and I mask myself as a rabbit. So, I’m hopping around-” he emphasized it by hopping a couple of times. “-but then my mask slips off. So now you have to catch me. Get it?”

“Yes, I get it,” he affirmed, narrowing his eyes with determination.

Naruto snickered and walked to the side so that Sasuke could try. It was just a game, yet Sasuke seemed so bent on winning.

He failed, multiple times, but they didn’t leave the arcade until he finally had the opportunity to catch one. Naruto stood at the side, holding all of the tickets he’d gained from winning every time, while Sasuke’s cup had none.

Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows and squinted as he attempted to catch the weasel. “Fuck- shit, wait no, that’s a pig.”

“Sasuke, look! It’s right there!”

“Where?! I can’t find it!”

“Teme!” Naruto pointed violently towards the screen. “There!”

Sasuke shook and shoved his arm forward along with the bright red joystick, finally catching it. He jumped up and raised his hands up.

“I did it!”

Naruto cheered and grabbed Sasuke, lifting him up with both arms. “You caught your first weasel!”

Sasuke reddened furiously and punched Naruto’s muscular arms lightly. He noticed how ridiculous they looked and buried his face in his shoulder. Naruto let go of him a couple of seconds later, still grinning.

“Now take your tickets, teme.”

“Tickets? Oh, yeah,” Sasuke dropped down to take his three tickets. 

“Do you want to play again?”

Sasuke sighed out of exhaustion and shook his head. “I think I’ve caught enough weasels for today.”

“Heh, yeah,” Naruto checked his watch. “It’s getting a little late. Come with me.”

Sasuke nodded and let himself be taken to the prize counter. There were stuffed toys, bouncy balls, kaleidoscopes, slinkies, and more colorful prizes displayed behind the clerk.

“Say, Ayame-nee, what could I get with these?” Naruto held up the long string of pale yellow tickets in his hands.

Ayame, a pretty, brown haired girl took the tickets and counted them. “Anything from that section, Naruto.” She pointed towards the area that Sasuke had been looking at. Naruto took note of that and put an arm around Sasuke’s shoulder.

“What do you think, Sasuke? Does anything there interest you?”

“But… the tickets aren't mine.” Sasuke looked at Naruto in confusion, who just shrugged.

“I’ve got plenty of them at home. Just choose something, or I’ll choose it for you!”

Sasuke turned to look at the prizes displayed on the glass display case. He didn't know what to pick, so he just shrugged. From the corner of his eye, he noticed the purple kaleidoscope. Naruto’s gaze followed Sasuke’s as he brought his thumb to his bottom lip.

“What about the horoscope? Do you like the horoscope?”

“ _Kaleidoscope_ , Naruto. It’s a kaleidoscope,” Sasuke corrected. “And... sure,” he added, a shade of rosy pink tinting his ears.

Naruto smiled and faced Ayame, who was already reaching for the toy. Sasuke felt like a toddler, receiving a toy bought from somebody else. But then again, it kind of felt like a date. Sasuke couldn’t help but blush and wonder if Naruto felt like that as well.

They finally walked out of the arcade, with Sasuke holding his new kaleidoscope and tickets and Naruto holding his paper bag full of paper animals. 

“So, rate Ichiraku’s out of 10. I want to hear the new kid’s opinion.”

Sasuke hummed. “Itself, it’s a 4.”

“How?! It’s amazing there.”

“That’s why I said _itself_. It’s… better when you’re there.”

Naruto’s heart leapt at the confession, but it instantaneously shifted into confusion when Sasuke suddenly froze. Naruto turned around and looked at the Uchiha.

“Sasuke?”

His eyes looked unfocused as an arm slowly moved upwards to his head. Lines formed between Naruto’s eyebrows when Sasuke’s hand hovered over his head.

“... Sasuke? Are you okay?”

Sasuke stumbled backwards, trying to regain balance. He looked like he was in pain. Naruto stepped towards him in caution.

“N- Naruto, call…”

Sasuke’s expression completely blanked. He staggered again, this time in Naruto’s direction and held his head with both hands. 

“Ngh.. call I- call Ita-” 

He collapsed backwards, alarming Naruto as he dashed over to catch him. Sasuke’s arms fell limp around Naruto’s arms and onto the ground as his eyes rolled back into his head. Naruto’s heart was beating wildly now, he had no idea what was happening or what to do. 

“S- Sasuke?” Naruto asked, unsurely.

Sasuke was unresponsive now, and Naruto began to panic. 

“Snap out of it, Naruto.. Ah, he said to call someone. 911? Yes, 911.”

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and began to dial, but an uneasy feeling spread in his stomach. No, he wasn’t supposed to call 911… He was supposed to call..

“Itachi,” he whispered. He didn’t have Itachi’s number, so he gulped and turned to Sasuke, reaching in the pallid boy’s pocket. His fingertips reached a metallic surface that he recognized as a phone’s, and pulled it out.

His hands were shaking as he realized he needed a password to unlock the phone.

“Fuck! Damn it,” he swallowed thickly. What would Sasuke put as his password?

He took a deep breath and tried _killshot_. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes when the phone vibrated and told him to try again.

He looked at Sasuke, and jumped when he realized the boy’s eyes were open. Naruto waved a hand in front of Sasuke, but there was no response. Naruto’s heart dropped down to his stomach. 

“Sas…” His bottom lip quivered as he brought his hand down to Sasuke’s chest. 

Oh thank God, he was still alive. Naruto could feel light thumps on the palm of his hand. He moved his hand down to Sasuke’s cold one and bit his quivering lip.

“Sasuke.. Can you hear me? Squeeze my finger if you can.”

He unclenched his hand and placed his pointer finger on Sasuke’s hand. Sasuke’s hand weakly squeezed around the finger, which made Naruto sigh in relief.

But it wasn’t enough. He needed to contact Itachi. He decided to try again, and if it failed, he’d just call 911. 

_Oregami_ … didn’t work.

“Damn it!”

He tried again. Maybe he spelled it wrong.

 _Origami_. The phone vibrated again, and Naruto cried out in frustration. He was wrong, again. His breath caught when a different screen popped up, white with black text and an icon below it.

**_Call Itachi?_ **

“You’re a fucking genius,” he whispered. He didn’t hesitate to press on the green icon, and raised the phone up to his ear. He waited for a couple of seconds before he heard a click on the other side.

“ _I_ _tachi Uchiha speaking._ ”

“Itachi! This is uh, Naruto, Sasuke’s friend. He passed out, and told me to call you.. Please come!”

Silence. And some muffled rustling. Naruto was full blown panicking now. Did Itachi hear him?

“H- hello?”

“ _I'_ _m on my way. Can he see you?”_

Naruto scooted closer to Sasuke and put his finger on top of Sasuke’s palm.

“Can you see me, Sasuke? Squeeze once if you can’t, and twice if you can.”

Sasuke’s fingers slowly clenched around Naruto’s finger once more, but not for a second time. Which only meant…

“H- he can’t see me. What does that mean? Will he be okay?”

_“He’s fine. Ask him if it hurts.”_

Naruto nodded and asked. Sasuke replied with two squeezes this time, which saddened him a bit. Sasuke was in pain. Was he having a seizure? No, he wasn’t convulsing, but he’d heard somewhere that not all seizures meant the sufferer was shaking.

“It does,” he said.

_“Okay. Keep checking in with him. I will be there shortly.”_

Naruto nodded, even if Itachi wasn’t there to see him doing it.

* * *

A black car finally arrived, and Naruto watched as Itachi emerged from it. His face was just as empty as his voice from earlier, but he seemed more urgent than usual. Well, anyone would be, but Itachi’s worry seemed to be much more concealed.

Naruto and Sasuke were both on a bench nearby. The hard ground wasn’t a comfortable place to be in, so he’d taken the liberty of bringing him somewhere better. Still, Sasuke had gotten considerably worse. He could barely move his fingers, and his fingertips and legs were unfeeling.

Itachi walked swiftly over to the two boys and took Sasuke from Naruto’s arms.

“Nobody stopped by?” Came the deep, velvet voice of the elegant man beside him.

Naruto looked away. “No. We… walked a couple of blocks away from the arcade. Not many people come by here.”

“Good,” he replied, earning a dumbfounded look from Naruto. “Unneeded attention would have made the situation worse.”

Naruto thought for a moment, before nodding. He gaped when Itachi pulled out a large, lethal looking syringe. Of course, it probably wasn’t lethal, but it still looked dangerous. Itachi brought it to Sasuke’s skin, piercing it without delay. Naruto briefly realized that Itachi did seem like the type of person to bring an eight year old under train tracks, since everything he did was done with certainty. 

He watched as all of the liquid inside of the syringe vanished, injecting itself into Sasuke’s body. Itachi’s face was rigid as he ran his own fingers through Sasuke’s black hair.

“Will he be okay?” Naruto asked.

Itachi picked Sasuke up with both arms.

“Yes. I am grateful that out of everyone, Sasuke spent the day with you. We are indebted to you, Naruto.”

“Ah.. it’s no problem.”

Itachi smiled, but now that he was up close, Naruto could tell that it was detached. He smiled back anyway, since that was the right thing to do.

“Do you have a ride, Naruto?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Don’t worry about it.”

A couple of men in black suits, probably Itachi’s bodyguards, rushed around him. One of them offered to hold Sasuke, which Itachi flatly denied.

Naruto smiled. He could tell Itachi cared a lot for Sasuke, despite his coldness. Itachi said his goodbyes before walking off along with the bodyguards and Sasuke in his arms.

When the car drove away, Naruto’s legs buckled and he fell onto the bench. What the _hell_ just happened?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whewww this chapter took a while to type up. No chapter will be posted tomorrow, since it's Christmas and I'll be taking a nice long walk for the entire day haha. Happy holidays everyone! Please take care of yourself during these difficult times.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Do you like it? I bought matching pajamas,” answered Minato, holding up clothes with the same design. “They had orange ones, your favorite color.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Today I took some time to review all of the chapters I posted and damn, I hated it. I fixed a couple of formatting and grammar errors, so they've changed a bit. I think I'm finally getting used to this website, which is great since I've been formatting wrong for my whole life lmao. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and thank you for reading!

Naruto paced anxiously around his room. He hadn’t told anyone about the incident from two days ago, since it wasn’t his place to tell. 

But he couldn’t help but feel worried for Sasuke. He’d sent a text, well, multiple texts, to the Uchiha in hopes that he’d answer, and that he had recovered, but he’d received no reply.

That led him to messaging Itachi, who just told him not to worry and that Sasuke would be fine in no time, which meant that Sasuke was still unconscious.

The kaleidoscope and yellow tickets rested on his drawer, next to the origami pieces that the two of them had made.

Naruto walked over to them and picked a paper toad up, smiling slightly. Sasuke told him to decorate it, so that’s what he began to do. He brought the toads and frogs to his desk and got to work, pulling out a pack of markers and a pen. He wasn’t really an artistic person, so he had no idea how to start.

_Let’s start with the eyes…_

Two white circles followed by two smaller black ones in the inner centers.

_The mouth…_

He paused for a moment. Maybe a V shape would suffice.

_Maybe two swirly thingies on the cheeks._

He drew two spirals on each cheek and colored them pink. He grinned. It didn’t look too bad. He continued to do the same with the others before taking the toads.

“Alright, time to give you warts like Ero-Sennin,” he said, chuckling softly afterwards and imagining the old man laughing beside him.

He drew on a couple of dark green circles in different sizes, hoping that they were easily distinguishable as warts. They didn’t look half bad in his opinion, so he went on and did the same with the others.

Naruto finally finished after the last blue butterfly and pushed himself back on his office chair, spinning around. He stopped before he got too dizzy and looked back at the paper animals. They weren’t perfect like Sasuke’s, but they were pretty good considering their accuracy in portraying the animals. He wanted to do something special, but he didn’t know what.

A knock on his door elicited a turn in its direction. Tsunade was at work, and he’d told the housemaids that he wanted some time alone, so the only person that could have been was…

Minato poked his head inside with a hopeful smile. Naruto almost laughed out loud when he saw the rest of his father’s body, dressed in clothes that he was so unused to seeing. His dad was wearing a white shirt with a dolphin logo and pajama pants with blue and white stripes.

“D- dad?” He choked, stifling a laugh. “What’s up with the outfit?”

“Do you like it? I bought matching pajamas,” answered Minato, holding up clothes with the same design. “They had orange ones, your favorite color.”

Naruto grinned and walked over to his father, who looked so optimistic and sanguine that Naruto’s heart couldn’t help but melt. Minato was really trying, and that was all he needed.

“They’re awesome, dad. Thank you,” he said with a bright smile on his face.

“That’s good to hear. What are those? On your desk.”

“Huh? Oh, me and Sasuke made origami,” Naruto motioned over for Minato to follow him. He picked a toad up and presented it with both hands.

“I want to make it look special, but I don’t know what to do with it.”

“You’ve been spending an awful lot of time with that Sasuke. Should I be expecting any _announcement_ any time soon?”

Naruto reddened and shook his head a little too fast. “No! Jeez, dad, it’s not like that.”

Minato laughed, his eyes crinkling in the same way Naruto’s did. His face looked young as ever, but that didn’t stop it from looking a bit more weary than usual.

“Alright, I’ll take your word for it. He seems like a good kid, keep him close, okay?”

Naruto nodded. “Definitely.”

He was thankful to have a family that was supportive of his sexuality. And his friend choices. Now that Uchiha Corp and Namikaze Tech were in a partnership, his friendship with Sasuke was going to run much smoother.

“Have you thought about turning them into a decoration? Or maybe an accessory,” suggested Minato.

Naruto blinked. “Like what? A necklace?”

“Sure. I think a necklace counts as something special,” Minato picked up a frog and examined it.

“Hey, you’re right! A necklace would be perfect,” said Naruto. “But how? I don’t know how to make one.”

“Here, let me show you,” replied Minato.

Naruto’s lips parted in surprise and eagerness. His dad was going to teach him something! He nodded in excitement and jumped to his father’s side.

* * *

“Tell her how you’re feeling, Sasuke dear.”

Black, unfocused eyes lazily looked around the room. His pupils were barely able to dilate properly, and everything felt hazy.

Sasuke wanted to break something. He’d thought he was getting better, that his stupid brain was finally going back to normal. And he hated that his body had lost its function right in front of Naruto.

Mikoto’s sorrowful, worried expression was enough to tell Sasuke that this wasn’t going to get better any time soon. The fact that his father was sitting by his bedside was also shocking. Fugaku Uchiha was known to be stoic and cold, even with his own children. Mostly Sasuke, since he flat out ignored him most of the time due to his clear disappointment in him.

The hospital room was dim and no lights were on. The beige curtains were closed to repel any sunlight that attempted to burst in. Sasuke’s eyes were too sensitive to light right now.

Actually, everything felt sensitive to him right now, aside from his fingertips, which were still a bit numb. His hearing was somewhat fine, but were still sensitive to loud noises.

“Fantastic,” he croaked, wincing at the way his voice sounded. 

“He’s well enough to joke,” said Itachi, who was seated a chair away from Mikoto, who was at Sasuke’s bedside.

“We’ll need a little more than that, kiddo,” said the nurse, Shizune.

Sasuke attempted to prop himself up on the bed, but failed terribly. His mother rushed to his side to help him sit up straight. His eyes blinked, but he couldn’t quite feel it.

“Feel numb. Like I’m about to sneeze.”

Shizune nodded and jotted something down on her clipboard while Sasuke leaned back. His ears were ringing now, and all he wanted to do was go back to sleep.

“Have you received any blow to the head recently?”

“No-o,” he slurred. “I can't feel my face.”

Shizune frowned and continued to write. “When was the last time you took your medication?”

“Right b’fore it happened.”

Mikoto ran her hand along Sasuke’s arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. He knew she hated seeing him bedbound like this. He snuck a glance at Itachi, whose face was inscrutable like always. Sasuke didn’t know what to think about him.

“Alright. The doctor will be here in a minute. Mr. Uchiha, please come with me.”

Sasuke knew that tone. The news wasn’t going to be good. His father stood and followed the nurse outside, and Sasuke closed his eyes. Itachi had mentioned that Naruto was the one that had called him, and Sasuke didn’t know whether to feel glad or terrible.

He was surprised Naruto had been able to find the emergency contact. Itachi had purposefully installed it into Sasuke’s phone just in case something like this would happen. And it did. But of all people, why did it have to be Naruto? 

Speaking of Naruto…

“Mom, where’s my bag?”

“Your… bag? Why?”

“Need to see if something’s there.”

Itachi shook his head. “Naruto has your toy. He messaged your phone earlier, saying he’ll give it to you the next time you saw each other.”

Mikoto smiled and raised her palm to her cheek. “What an angel, that Naruto. Thank God for gifting him to you.”

Sasuke blushed when he heard his heart monitor beep slightly faster. She was right, if Naruto hadn’t been there, Sasuke would probably have fallen into a coma. 

The silence was cut short when a blonde woman wearing a white lab coat opened the door and walked inside. Her red heels contrasted with the rest of her outfit and clacked rhythmically on the shiny floor. Sasuke could barely recognize her, he felt disoriented and confused.

“Hey, brat’s friend.”

Oh, it was Naruto’s… mom? Aunt? Tsunade.

“Hi,” he rasped.

Tsunade reintroduced herself to the rest of the family briefly before walking over to the computer, picking up Sasuke’s medical records and flipping through them. 

“Alright, kid. When was the last time something like this happened?”

“Seventh grade,” answered Mikoto before Sasuke could speak. It was probably by habit, since he barely really talked to people aside from when it was necessary. “Not many incidents relating to his injury happened after that, which is why we’re a bit anxious right now.”

Tsunade nodded and bit her fingernail, skimming over some more details.

“Have you been consuming any alcohol? Smoking, nonprescription drugs, any of that?”

Sasuke inwardly cringed. He didn’t drink alcohol or do drugs, but smoking was a completely different topic.

“No,” he lied, subconsciously shifting and looking around. He didn’t miss the way Itachi’s narrowed in his direction.

 _Fuck him,_ he thought to himself. Fuck Itachi. It was his fault Sasuke was here in the first place. His life was hell _because_ of Itachi. Sasuke gritted his teeth and looked down, not paying attention to what the adults were saying.

None of this would have happened if it wasn’t for Itachi. He wouldn’t have had to be on his toes every time something physical happened. And now, it was mental too. He wouldn’t have had to feel debilitated all the time. Sasuke’s hands clutched onto the bedsheet and shook as he glared down at his legs.

_Fuck him. I hate him. Fuck you, Itachi._

“Sasuke, can you hear me?”

Sasuke’s head snapped up to find a concerned Tsunade and worried Mikoto. He couldn’t stand to look at Itachi, so the man remained at the blurry corner of his eye. Shit, he’d been zoning out for a while, lost in his loathing for Itachi.

But did he really hate him? Sasuke felt like he was being torn apart from the inside. One side of him only saw the good in Itachi while the other side only saw the evil. The pain was excruciating. 

“Yeah, I can. Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”

Tsunade pursed her lips and sat back on her office chair.

“I asked if you’ve been reminded of anything related to what caused your injury to the point of flashbacks or pain, physical or emotional.”

Sasuke didn’t dare to look at Itachi after she said that. The grotesque, bloody pictures that his brother had shown him were what reminded him of the incident. Hatred continued to burn in his stomach, spreading towards his heart. Itachi was the cause of this too.

“Yes, I was,” he answered truthfully as he looked away.

 _Why_ was he still defending him?

Unbearable shame was next to tear him further apart. The only reason Itachi was hurting him like this was because _he_ was letting him. But… it couldn’t have been his fault. Right?

Of course not. Itachi was his brother, of course he’d want to defend him. 

But uncertainty still lingered in his mind, and Sasuke was ashamed to know why. Maybe it was because of his disorientation at the moment, or maybe… maybe he knew that he was wrong. Maybe deep down he knew that it was more than that.

Ah… he was such an idiot. 

Itachi was also the one who kept him alive. Itachi taught him things that their father had never had the time for. He was the reason why Sasuke was so strong-willed and persevering. The bridge, the Akatsuki, his rare, genuine smiles that only came when Sasuke was truly happy.

So why…

Why did he do this to him?

What had he done to deserve this?!

Luckily, Tsunade wasn’t stupid and didn’t press on with the questions. She wasn’t looking for another loss of consciousness from Sasuke. She took some more notes before sighing and turning to Sasuke.

“Assuming everything you’ve told me was true, then it was just stress induced. It’s completely normal, but if it continues, you have to let me know. Okay?”

Sasuke nodded slowly as Tsunade typed a couple of things down. Itachi and Mikoto stood side to side, but Mikoto seemed hesitant to leave. 

“What will happen if it continues?”

“Well, there’s a number of possibilities. Right now, Sasuke’s condition seems promising. The medicines are working, and everything is going fine. Of course there’s going to be a couple of bumps, people aren’t perfect, but if it continues, we’ll try a couple of new medicines. If that doesn’t work, we’ll try therapy. Brain surgery is highly unlikely, but if none of the other choices work, then that’s always an option.”

“Ah… I see. Thank you so much, doctor.”

“It’s no problem at all. I’m going to stick around with Sasuke for a moment and ask him a couple of questions privately, okay?”

Her tone left no room for refusal, so Mikoto just nodded and walked out with Itachi after giving Sasuke a quick kiss on the cheek.

Sasuke watched the two family members exit, wondering where his father was for a moment, but his attention was brought to Tsunade when he heard a click in that direction.

“Alright, kid. How’re you doing in school?”

“Fine.”

“That’s good. I’ve heard you’re tutoring Naruto, that’s kind of you.”

Sasuke nodded and pulled at his thumb.

“What activities do you like?”

He shrugged. “Origami.”

“Mhm,” she nodded before looking at him straight in the eye.

“Have you been feeling depressed, anxious, or anything of that sort?”

“No,” he answered. Maybe a little conflicted, but nothing too dramatic.

“Any thoughts about suicide?”

Sasuke shook his head. This was beginning to sound like an interrogation.

“Alright. I want you to know that this conversation is completely private, and will not exit this room. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“When you’re at home, at school, and with romantic interests and friends, do you feel safe?”

“Yes.” Maybe not with Itachi and Orochimaru, but hey, one omission wasn’t completely outrageous.

“M’kay. Now, these questions might feel a little awkward, but trust me, it’s completely normal. Have you had sex recently?”

“No.”

She continued to ask questions regarding his personal and private life, and Sasuke answered with as much truth as he could, but was drawn blank at the last question.

“Now, I know I asked this question earlier, but kids tend to lie when they’re around family. Do you smoke, drink, take unprescribed substances, or anything of the sort?”

Sasuke stopped. He knew that if he told her, she’d have no choice but to keep it a secret. But that didn’t stop him from feeling paranoid. He’d been walking on eggshells on too many occasions recently. He bit his lip and chose to tell her anyway. 

“..... Yes,” he admitted, shifting his gaze to his laps.

Tsunade nodded. Sasuke felt her eyes burning disappointed holes through him. Tch, she wasn’t his mom, so she had no right to be that way towards him.

“Which one? Or ones,” she inquired.

“... Cigarettes,” he mumbled.

“I see. How long?”

“Since seventh grade.”

Only a sigh came from the older woman, and Sasuke couldn’t stop himself from glaring right at her.

“That’s a long time, kid.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Sasuke snapped. 

“Lots of kids like you don’t know that,” she began.

“They start smoking just to see what it feels like, then they do it again, then again, and they always tell themselves they could stop at any time and it becomes a vicious cycle of the same thing happening over and over. You’re at a much higher risk, since your brain is already damaged enough as it is.”

Sasuke narrowed his eyes down to his fists. He _knew_ that. He knew what the risks were, and he’d done it anyway. He wasn’t stupid.

“I’m not stupid,” he repeated out loud. “I know.”

“That makes you even more stupid, brat. You’re even brattier than Naruto-“

“Shut up! I didn’t come here to be berated and told what to do-“

“You’ve already shortened your lifespan by a fifth.”

Sasuke became silent. He was becoming more annoyed by the second, he didn’t want to be reprimanded for things he already knew. Especially by Naruto’s… whatever she was.

“Something you probably wouldn’t have known if you continued to make me lose my train of thought is that now I know that you _do_ have to change your medication.”

Sasuke’s mouth was completely shut, but his expression didn’t betray his anger.

“If you want to get better and live a life more normal than the one you’re living now, I suggest you quit smoking completely. You’re lucky there even is a medicine stronger than the last one, but it will take some time to get used to.”

Sasuke nodded. He didn’t care what it was, he just wanted his condition to be gone for good.

“While you wait, things that may happen include persistent headaches, seizures, dizziness, temporary sensory issues, temporary cognitive issues, extreme disorientation, and drowsiness. But you know that, since that’s how you’ve been living.”

So he’d have to go through _that_ hell again. Sasuke nodded for the second time, continuing to voice his hatred for Itachi in his thoughts.

“Don’t just nod, brat. I need an indication that you understand.”

“I understand. I’ll do my best to follow your instructions.”

“Good, I’ll make a call to the pharmacist in a minute. Expect new meds and a pamphlet.” 

Sasuke opened his mouth to reply but did not say anything when he was interrupted by the sound of her heels clacking against the hard floor. She finally left the room, leaving Sasuke dumbfounded. How was he supposed to quit his longtime habit? He didn’t know if he’d be able to stomach the symptoms he’d be feeling from the new medicine. It just seemed like too much.

Everything seemed like too much. He didn’t want to think about anything that was going on in his life anymore. Maybe being barely conscious was a good thing, he wouldn’t have to deal with his problems anymore. He snorted to himself. As if it was that easy.

And then there was the issue with Shikamaru. Sasuke didn’t know what to do, he didn’t know if he could keep the act up anymore. Every Uchiha knew he was the one that had the largest mouth out of everybody. Itachi put too much faith in him. He’d almost ruined everything.

Tears threatened to spill from Sasuke’s misty eyes. He scoffed, in contempt of himself.

What kind of Uchiha was he if he couldn’t keep a single secret? There was no point in feeling sorry for himself, as it was all his own doing in the first place.

_No, you idiot. It was Itachi’s fault!_

Right?

“...Right?” His voice was barely a whisper, high pitched and overcome by shame.

This was why he didn’t want to come back to Konoha City. There were people that knew about the massacre, and there were people that knew that the Uchihas were involved. He wished Itachi had told him why. It would have at least given him the hope he needed to go on with the silent agreement.

He was on thin ice, and it had begun to crack. He let out a shaky sigh and pushed himself back on the bed, bending his legs up to his chest and pulling the blanket above him. He barely willed his tears away, letting the wetness soak the white pillow.

“I hate you.”

He left the words at that. There were multiple people he was referring to, and he spent the rest of his time at Konoha Hospital debating if he was addressing himself as well.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I was at that court on that day. My family was supervising my distant cousin during his trial. I was among the people who were injured.”

During his misery, Sasuke was unaware of what else was happening.

Itachi was in Sasuke’s room, looking for Sasuke’s previous medication when a buzz came from the grey messenger bag that was placed earlier on the bed. He narrowed his eyes, assuming it was Naruto.

Pure suspicion led the long haired Uchiha to walk over to the bag and examine it. For a while he had assumed that Sasuke had gotten closer with the blond, and the thought of that displeased him. He ran long, slender fingers along the soft dark bangs that fell around his face like a curtain, and unzipped a pocket. He pulled the sleek, metallic phone out and pressed his finger on the power button. 

The screen lit up, irradiating his emotionless face. His eyes were met with a notification from an unknown number.

_Hey, Sasuke, this is Shikamaru. I was wondering if you were down to…_

Itachi’s stoic expression slightly hardened. Sasuke was not the type of person that would go around, handing his phone number to people. Itachi swiftly unlocked the cell phone without hesitation. He opened the text message for more information.

An outsider would have called his actions snooping, but to him, he was protecting Sasuke. 

For the span of his entire life, Itachi was praised as the genius heir of Uchiha Corp. He was the golden child that everyone adored. Everyone was blinded by his achievements, except for his little brother.

Ever since Sasuke was born, the younger child had always seen Itachi as someone that wasn’t defined by his accomplishments. Sometimes he even got upset when people mentioned them. It was clearly jealousy, but it was also something else. Itachi did not understand what it was. 

Itachi was the person that anyone could depend on for answers. He was the perfect problem solver, but there was one mystery that he could never crack open. And that mystery was Sasuke.

There was something wrong with Itachi, and he was aware of it. Something that was inside of everybody was missing from the elder brother. He didn’t care about people like he should have. Social norms were what bound him to remaining civil, and so were his father’s expectations. Everything he did was mechanical. Nobody was enough to make Itachi feel.

Except for Sasuke.

When Sasuke was born, Itachi was indifferent. The baby was just another clump of cells and organs that took up space on earth. He paid it no attention at all. Itachi was five years old, and was able to dissect every human emotion that was thrown at him. Except for one.

When Sasuke became coherent, and able to communicate, Itachi noticed something that set the child apart from anything else. It deeply confused him, because he didn’t understand it. He didn’t understand why Sasuke clung to him as if he was going to disappear at any moment, or why he cried whenever Itachi began to walk away. 

When he grew older, he realized that the piece that was missing from him was given to Sasuke instead. Sasuke was capable of feeling love, compassion, and emotions that Itachi could only study. And Itachi was given Sasuke’s missing ability to please people, regardless of what he did.

He knew from the very start that he was the unlucky one. Unlike Sasuke, his life was bleak and barren. He didn’t feel satisfied whenever he received perfect marks on his report card, or whenever he broke a school record. 

But one day, Itachi returned home from another day at school to find a seven year old Sasuke running towards him. It was a Friday in January, and Sasuke was elated to show him the art project he’d done at school. Like he always did, the model student allowed himself to be dragged to the garden, past cousin Obito and uncle Madara.

Sasuke held up the drawing with a smile dragging itself along his face. Itachi smiled back, but it was not genuine. None of his smiles were genuine.

_“I drew you, nii-san. Look!”_

_“It’s beautiful, otouto.”_

Sasuke beamed as his small hands clutched onto the paper and placed it on Itachi’s lap.

_“Keep it!”_

Itachi’s lips curved upwards as he picked the paper up. A question lingered on his tongue for a moment as he debated whether or not he should ask it.

_“Why do you go to such lengths for me, Sasuke?”_

The youngest Uchiha paused for a couple of seconds, wondering what Itachi meant, before smiling up at his elder brother.

_“‘Cause you’re my aniki, and I love my aniki.”_

Itachi froze. For the first time in his life, he felt something strange blaze in his chest. It wasn’t pain, but he didn’t like it. It was new, and foreign, and he didn’t know how to deal with it. Without saying anything, he stood up and walked away, leaving a puzzled and dejected Sasuke sitting next to his drawing.

Love was strange. Itachi didn’t understand how it could drive somebody to the point of murder, but it did.

For some time after that, Itachi began to feel new things, emotions that confused him. They were dialed down greatly compared to everyone else, but to him they were like scalding hot water. Annoyance was his most prominent emotion, because it was only present when people praised him for nothing.

Everything else appeared when Itachi was with Sasuke. Joy, pride, love, everything. He often felt angry when people would try to do anything that harmed Sasuke.

He reached his breaking point in April. They visited the Uchiha Compound with their mother one day, and reunited with their distant relatives. He watched everybody smile and hug each other, their bodies, that had hearts and organs and a skeleton and nerves, colliding with each other to display what they named as love. He felt alienated to the touch, aside from every time Sasuke had been there instead. 

Obito Uchiha confronted him that night. He told Itachi that he was just like him. But his person was Rin, and Rin loved Kakashi.

He told Itachi that the same would happen to him. If Itachi didn’t stop it from happening, Sasuke would end up abandoning him. Deserting him for someone else.

 _“But I’m his only brother,”_ said Itachi.

_“It doesn’t matter. Your mother is his only mother and his father is his only father. He has a single-track mind.”_

A single-track mind. Another one of Sasuke’s flaws that Itachi began to loathe deeply. He wanted to change it, and mold it in a way that fit his ideals.

But how would he change the way Sasuke’s mind functioned?

 _“I have an idea,"_ said Obito. Itachi listened.

And he went along with the idea.

_“On the day of Shisui’s trial, I will bring two firearms. I will kill the people that have wronged me. You will act as my accomplice and help me locate them. Sasuke will find us, along with the bodies, and let the image burn into his memory. Then, you will render him unconscious.”_

_“How will he learn to depend on me?”_

_“Be there for him when he needs you the most.”_

Itachi followed his directions perfectly. It pained him to see Sasuke in pain, terrified and horror stricken, but he knew that it was a necessary evil. 

Sometimes, bad things had to happen to prevent worse things from happening in the future.

When Sasuke woke up from his coma, Itachi was the first person he saw. Obito had allowed himself to be incarcerated, saying that he had done what he was meant to do, and that there was no meaning in life for him anymore.

After all, he’d passed his fire onto Itachi. 

But even Itachi wasn’t completely perfect, because he’d made one fatal mistake that ruined everything.

Sasuke had found the weapon in his bag, and it wasn’t Itachi that left it there. In reality, Itachi did not kill anyone, but someone had planted it inside of his bag for Sasuke to find it.

His mistake was trusting Orochimaru after discovering the truth about the Ryuchi Organization. That was when he finally felt the urge to kill. The thought that the vile man had snaked his way around him after he declined the offer was disgusting. Itachi’s fury was immeasurable.

And that was why Itachi’s hands were shaking with homicidal rage as his dark eyes reread Shikamaru’s text over and over.

_Hey, Sasuke, this is Shikamaru. I was wondering if you were down to meet up tomorrow. There’s a lot I need to talk about concerning Orochimaru and the Ryuchi offer._

* * *

“Sakura Haruno?”

“Here,” announced Sakura. 

The teacher, Kurenai Yuhi, was currently taking attendance. The pink haired girl felt bored to death, wishing that she’d chosen to skip.

“Psst, Sakura,” whispered Ino, who sat behind her.

Sakura twisted in her seat to face the blonde. “What?”

“I’m going to make myself get a nosebleed. Come with me to the nurse’s office,” Ino put up air quotes when she mentioned the office.

Sakura grinned. Ino was quite creative when it came to skipping, despite her dumb ways.

She turned around, hearing shuffling behind her. Sakura didn’t know how Ino did it, but it always worked. From the corner of her eye, she noticed that Ino raised her hand. 

“Kurenai Sensei-i,” dragged Ino, pinching her nose as blood streamed from her nostril. “I think I have a nosebleed.”

Kurenai was a new teacher, so she didn’t know about Ino and Sakura’s tricks and antics. The other students did, though, and watched with envy as Kurenai rushed over to Ino and handed her a nurse slip.

Sakura raised her hand. “Can I go with her?”

“Of course. Take the hallway pass on your way out.”

Cha! They did it!

Sakura nodded sweetly and got up, along with Ino. Ino snickered mischievously and skipped out along with Sakura, who gave her a pat on the back.

“Nice work, Ino-pig.”

“I know,” said Ino as she wiped her nose with some tissues.

Sakura pouted as she brought her pointer finger to her bottom lip. “What should we do?”

Ino pulled out her phone. “Let’s get the others to meet up with us. I want to go to the mall.”

“Ooh, okay. I’ll call Naruto and Kiba.”

“I’ll call the others. Mind if I invite someone else?”

Sakura looked at Ino and raised an eyebrow, typing away at her keyboard. “Who?”

Ino blushed and twirled her hair. “Sai, from art class.”

“Sai? Really? Are you two friends or something?”

“Shut up, billboard brow! It’s none of your business.”

“Bitch! I was just asking!”

Ino stopped walking after that, her expression suddenly turning gloomy.

“Hey… Sakura?”

“Yeah?” Sakura asked, stopping and turning to tilt her head at Ino.

“I can't be the only one that’s noticed Naruto’s... interest in Sasuke, right?”

Sakura halted and remained silent. She had been dreading this conversation since the beginning. Her eyelashes fluttered downwards.

“Yeah.. I’ve noticed it too.”

Ino shrugged and fumbled with the bottom of her blazer. “I mean, it’s not like it’s our place to do anything, but… I can't help but feel a little…”

“Let down?”

Ino sighed and nodded. Sakura understood exactly where she was coming from, and she felt the same way.

“I do too, if I’m going to be honest. But… he’s our friend, and he can choose whoever he wants to be friends with. Even if it…”

“I don't think he just wants to be friends with Sasuke.”

Sakura’s hair was draped over her eyes now. She’d known that ever since she saw the two of them together, laughing and smiling in a way that Sakura had never seen before. 

Sasuke looked… alive when he was with Naruto. When he was with Sakura, his eyes were always somewhere else, even if he was looking directly at her. He barely spoke with her, and when they kissed, it felt too lifeless. It always seemed like she was the one that was putting in more effort into the relationship.

Naruto was also different. Unlike any relationship he’d been in before, his smile reached beyond just his eyes. It reached his heart, and the distinction was clear. Sakura couldn’t help but feel like crying at the realization.

“... Yeah,” she whispered, her voice breaking.

She wasn’t jealous. Of course she wasn’t. All she could feel from this was sadness. Her relationship with Sasuke was not really a relationship, putting aside the labels they seemingly had accepted. That was the disappointing truth.

And _damn,_ it stung. She had been so blinded and disillusioned that she’d believed that their love was real. But Sasuke knew from the beginning that it was all bound to end at some point.

Sakura could barely register Ino’s arms wrapping around her, or the tears that were streaming down her cheeks.

“I was so stupid,” she whispered, finally accepting the truth.

“Shh, you couldn’t have known,” Ino reassured as she hugged Sakura tightly, running fingers through soft, pink hair.

Ino was right, realized Sakura. She couldn't have known. Sakura pulled away with wide eyes.

“You’re right,” she repeated out loud.

“Huh?”

“Sasuke. He was the one who didn't tell me anything. None of this would have happened if he’d just broken up with me in the first place.”

“Exactly, he tried to cheat on you, Sakura. Don’t beat yourself up over this.”

“No, what I’m saying, is… shouldn’t we be worried about Naruto?”

Ino paused. This definitely wasn’t what she was expecting. “What?”

“I mean, think about it. If Sasuke did that with us, isn’t there a chance he’ll try to do the same with Naruto?”

“Ah… but, you’ve seen the way he looks at him.”

Sakura’s mouth opened as her head sunk to look at her feet. Ino was right again.

“True. Maybe he, I dunno, was coming to terms with his gayness or something.”

“Yeah… Look, trust me, if Sasuke ever tries something with him, I’ll make sure he gets the worst of it from me.”

“You mean from _us,_ ” added Sakura. She wasn’t going to let Sasuke hurt Naruto like he had with her, no matter what.

Cha!

* * *

“What a drag,” muttered Shikamaru. “She wants us to go to the mall with them.”

Kiba shrugged. “Hey, at least we’ll be skipping.”

“I guess,” he mumbled back. He wasn’t paying attention to Choji and Kiba anymore. There was a different contact that caught his eye.

Sasuke.

Shikamaru really wanted to know more, so he’d sent Sasuke a message asking if he was down to meet up. Sasuke had read his message, but did not reply. He wondered concisely if Sasuke knew any texting etiquette, but figured that it wasn’t the case.

It had taken a while to find Sasuke’s number. Barely anyone had it, aside from his troublesome friends. Let’s just say it took a bit of convincing for him to finally acquire it.

The triad stood and stepped away from the cafeteria table and walked towards the exit of the large private school.

On the way there, Choji pointed to a different hallway.

“Hey, isn’t that Naruto?”

Everyone turned to face the hallway, and were met with the sight of the two wearing matching necklaces with weirdly decorated… animals. Made of paper. The sight was strange, to say the least.

Naruto was chattering on and on with a surprisingly calm look on his face. He kind of looked troubled, which unsettled the teen wearing his hair in a spiky ponytail.

Sasuke looked stoic, but he could see that his eyes were apologetic. 

Kiba didn’t take note of the atmosphere, and waved his arms up right away. He was about to yell Naruto’s name, but Shikamaru stopped him, slapping a hand above his mouth and pulling his arms down.

“What the fuck, man?!” 

Kiba’s muffled voice did not swerve Shikamaru as he dragged him away, a confused Choji rushing after them.

Meanwhile, Sasuke’s fingers played with the necklace as Naruto continued to rant about how worried he was.

“And you were barely even awake! I was literally shaking, I thought you were going to die! A- and then Itachi asked if you could see me, and you couldn’t even see me, and-”

“Naruto, I get it.”

Naruto shut his mouth and looked down. Sasuke continued to speak.

“I’m sorry. I should have let you know about my… problem. I just… didn’t think it was going to happen, and I was wrong for assuming that.”

Naruto frowned. “Hey, it’s no big deal. It was just a mistake.”

“One that could have cost my life and your day.”

A sigh came from Naruto. Sasuke wasn’t wrong, even though it wouldn’t have just cost a day for Naruto.

“Hey, by the way… What was even in that syringe that Itachi injected in you?”

Sasuke shrugged. “Some long word. It’s supposed to sedate me so my body could let oxygen reach my brain easier.”

“Damn.. that’s tough,” said Naruto as he sat down on a bench in the courtyard. Sasuke sat next to him and pulled his bento out of his bag. Naruto did the same, but with his cup ramen.

“I always see you eating that. Cup ramen is terrible for your health, you know?”

Naruto crossed his arms. “I don’t care! It tastes amazing.”

Sasuke’s eyes rolled upwards as he scooted back on the bench to sit more comfortably. He pulled the lid off of his bento box to see tomato slices, rice, meat and eggs. On the rice, his mother had placed a slice of salmon sashimi shaped as a heart. 

“Aw, a heart. That’s so wholesome.”

Sasuke blushed and picked up his chopsticks. He always left the heart for last. 

Watching Naruto attempt to peel open that disgusting plastic cup made Sasuke want to snatch it and flush it down a toilet. Sorry, ocean, but Sasuke really wasn’t having it.

“Naruto.”

Naruto faced him now while his hands still fumbled with the plastic seal.

“Yeah?”

“... This is too much. Take some.”

Sasuke held out his bento for Naruto to take from, flushing lightly in embarrassment and staring at some trees nearby.

Naruto looked down at the bento, and felt his heart beat rapidly against his ribcage. Were they going to share Sasuke’s lunch? Like a couple? Naruto wanted to pinch himself to see if this was really happening.

The noodle cup was long since discarded as Naruto fumbled with his chopsticks and hesitantly picked up some rice, raising it to his mouth. Sasuke did the same, pairing it with a tomato slice. The black haired boy was facing down as he ate, and Naruto wondered what his face looked like right now. Did he look as flustered as Naruto did?

“Um, try the beef. It’s good,” Sasuke mumbled.

Naruto awkwardly nodded and picked up a slice of meat, bringing it to his mouth and chewing. Sasuke was right, it was tasty.

Sasuke seemed to love the tomatoes more than anything, which made Naruto smile in amusement. Naruto loved savory food, so he focused more on the beef. They finally reached the end of the bento, and Sasuke had left the heart-shaped slice of sashimi on the bento.

Sasuke raised his head slightly, and Naruto could see the embarrassment and bashfulness visible on his cheeks and ears.

“Do you want it?”

Naruto’s lips parted in adulation as he stared down at the piece of fish. It was just that, a piece of fish, but he knew there was something more to it, mostly because it was shaped like a heart.

Damn, having a crush on someone made things so difficult. It was just food! Why was his heart beating so fast because of some salmon?

“W- wasn’t it for you?”

“You can have it. My mom likes you,” was the shy reply.

“Well, if you say so,” Naruto reached to take it with his chopsticks. “My dad likes you too,” he said through his mouthful. It tasted nice, his mom probably did something to make it taste better.

Sasuke began to rummage through his bag, pulling out an orange prescription bottle. Naruto eyed it curiously.

“What’s that?”

“My meds,” Sasuke shrugged. There was no point in hiding it now. 

“Oh,” said Naruto. He was quiet for a moment before opening his mouth. “If you don't mind me asking… What caused it? You passing out.”

Sasuke popped a pill into his mouth and washed it down with some water. “Stress. My smoking habit also played a part in it,” he replied nonchalantly.

Naruto furrowed his eyebrows. “See? I told you it was bad.”

“Whatever, be glad that I’m actually stopping.”

“I am, teme! I’m glad you listened.”

Sasuke nodded before sighing. “It won't be easy, I’ve been doing it for years.”

“I… don't know much about withdrawals, but I’ll do my best to help distract you, okay?”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

Naruto smiled and leaned back on the bench. Sasuke seemed to be in deep thought about something, narrowing his eyes at the clouds.

“Naruto… I’ve been meaning to tell you something.”

Naruto’s stomach flipped as his heart began to beat wildly in his chest. Was Sasuke… No, he couldn’t assume that yet. Naruto hoped it was true anyway. 

“Yeah?” The blond asked, unsurely.

“I’m sure you know about what happened between Sakura and I,” he began. Naruto perked up. Was he finally going to tell him his side of the story? Naruto nodded for Sasuke to continue.

“Um, I never told anyone about this, since, well, you know. It was something private and I didn’t want anyone knowing.”

Naruto’s lips parted. So there _was_ something more to the story. It didn’t surprise him as much as it should have, he knew Sasuke wasn’t the type of person that would hurt innocent people intentionally.

“Have you… ever heard of the Konoha District Court incident?”

Naruto’s eyes widened as he nodded. “Yeah. It was a big deal in elementary school. My classmate’s family member was one of the people who were killed.”

Something unrecognizable flashed in Sasuke’s face before he looked away.

“I was at that court on that day. My family was supervising my distant cousin during his trial. I was among the people who were injured.”

“Shit,” Naruto whispered, instinctively reaching out to Sasuke. Sasuke closed his eyes.

“I was hit on the head with a blunt object, and was in a coma for some time. So… let’s just say I wasn't doing very well when it came to using my brain properly. I stopped telling people about it after elementary school, since it caused unnecessary drama and people always walked on eggshells around me.”

Naruto listened carefully, in awe of how detached Sasuke’s voice. He didn’t need the rest of the story to understand what had happened.

“I met Sakura in the sixth grade, I think. I don’t know for sure, because I was barely conscious for most of middle school. People that I was convinced I’ve never seen before were suddenly friends with me and I’d end up in places without remembering how I got there. I gave up on asking questions during seventh grade and just went along with whatever happened.”

“So that’s what happened with…”

“Yes. Everyone said I was dating Sakura, so I just accepted it. To me, I barely even knew her. I didn’t know anyone at school, but they knew me. People often said I looked like a zombie, because I always looked dazed and confused. And I was,” he admitted.

“I don’t.. Really remember what happened with Ino. But I think it happened the same way. I wasn’t aware that I was dating Sakura and somehow I was convinced that Ino and I were in a relationship instead.”

“So it was all a misunderstanding,” Naruto concluded.

“Yeah. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want people to know about my condition. But.. I trust you.”

Naruto smiled, feeling flattered. It didn’t stop his turbulence from rising up.

“But that’s so unfair! We need to clear your name.”

Sasuke shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I could care less about petty drama.”

“Ah..” Naruto looked down. He couldn’t protest against that since that was the same way he felt after Jiraiya’s death.

Sasuke smirked and smacked Naruto lightly. “Don’t worry about it, dobe. It’s easier for people to blame others anyway.”

Naruto laughed quietly and clasped his hands together behind his head.

“That’s true. I’m glad I have people around that don’t.”

Sasuke nodded. “Those are the best types of people to keep around.”

Silence. Naruto was a tightly wound bundle of nerves. He instinctively reached up to feel the tattoos on his face.

“If we’re going to be honest with each other… I guess I should tell you about how I got these scars.”

Sasuke’s head tilted to the right. “Scars?”

“Yeah,” Naruto confirmed, chuckling. “I got them tattooed over a couple of years ago.”

“Oh. I’ve always assumed that you’d gotten them tattooed for cosmetic reasons.”

“Pshh, no,” Naruto said. “They’re actually from an animal attack.”

Naruto’s profile turned to the side as he watched a couple of students run hurriedly to their next class.

“I was around six, and my family, ‘cept my dad, were at our cabin in the woods. Nagato and my godfather were babysitting,”

Despite the sadness he felt, Naruto still kept a smile on his face. Jiraiya was nothing but a good memory for that, and he wouldn’t change that in the slightest.

“Things happened, and I ended up on the verge of being attacked by a rabid fox. The old man found me with these scars on my cheeks and did his best to keep the fox away from me. Then… well, I’m sure you can imagine what happened after that,” Naruto concluded softly.

“That’s why you didn’t want to make the origami foxes,” Sasuke noticed, in the same tone.

“Yeah. Foxes are just a bad omen to me.”

Quiet.

“Your godfather was a hero.”

“I know.”

More quiet. It was comfortably silent as they both absorbed the information they had just learned about each other. The paper necklaces that were settled around their necks blew in the air.

“Naruto?”

“Yeah?”

“...”

Sandy blond locks were damp with the humidity of the autumn air as Naruto turned to face Sasuke. The front of Sasuke’s head was still facing away from him, only black hair visible to sapphire eyes.

“If there was someone… who you knew cared about you, and loved you. And you knew that you cared about them and loved them too... If they did something bad and told you not to tell anybody, would you listen?”

Naruto watched Sasuke carefully and wondered where the boy was coming from. His voice made him sound vulnerable, unlike his arrogant and haughty persona that he’d encountered in the beginning. Naruto considered it for a moment and bit his bottom lip.

“I would-“

Sasuke’s phone began to ring, causing Naruto to shut up. Sasuke blinked and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He looked at Naruto apologetically before accepting the call and raising the device to his ear.

“I’m at school.”

A deep, muffled voice responded, with words that Naruto couldn’t recognize. But that wasn’t what raised alarm in Naruto.

“Why? What did you do?” Sasuke suddenly stood up from his seat, tense and agitated. 

Naruto watched Sasuke’s face grow pale with concern. 

More muffled noise, that sounded like Itachi.

“I won’t, I won’t! But why?!” Sasuke’s voice was raised now, all sense of gentleness was gone. Naruto reached an arm out to touch Sasuke’s shoulder, to which Sasuke violently flinched at. 

Naruto’s face contorted in anxiousness. Whatever Sasuke was talking about was causing him too much stress. 

Suddenly, the shrill bells of the alarms began to ring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And if Shikamaru or Naruto made one wrong step, they’d be next. That was the ultimate price they’d have to pay for being close to Sasuke.

“I would-“

Sasuke’s phone began to ring, causing Naruto to shut up. Sasuke blinked and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He looked at Naruto apologetically before accepting the call and raising the device to his ear.

He was a bit confused. Itachi never called him at school unless something was extremely important.

“I’m at school,” he started annoyedly.

Itachi was silent for a moment before his velvet voice reverberated in Sasuke’s ear.

_“Do not go to your next class."_

His next class? Orochimaru’s class?

Sasuke stood up from his seat, becoming tense and agitated. “Why? What did you do?”

_“You’ll find out soon enough. Don’t go to your next class.”_

“I won’t, I won’t! But why?!” Sasuke held his phone with both hands to prevent it from falling. Panic flooded into his nerves, causing him to recoil at Naruto’s touch.

His suspicions were confirmed when the alarm began to ring, shrill and loud. Sasuke and Naruto looked up simultaneously as an announcement began to project itself.

_“Code purple in room 341. Code red schoolwide. All students should remain in a classroom with a staff member. Code purple in room 341. Code red schoolwide. All students should…”_

The announcement continued to repeat itself as Naruto stood as well, alarmed.

“What?”

Sasuke’s entire figure was frozen. Quiet beeps were heard from his cell phone, which meant that Itachi had hung up.

Room 341 was Orochimaru’s classroom.

Sasuke couldn’t move. Orochimaru’s class was his next class. He foggily heard Naruto’s voice and mutely faced him. Naruto was trying to take him somewhere.

“...suke!”

“Sasuke!”

“Come on, Sasuke!”

Sasuke gasped and allowed himself to be dragged away. Naruto ran over to a classroom nearby and attempted to open the door. The door was locked, causing Naruto to yell in frustration.

They ran to the next one, which was also locked and closed. Naruto shouted that they needed to go in, but the door wasn’t opened.

_Fucking cowards,_ Sasuke thought as they ran to the next door.

Before they could knock, loud screams of terror sounded from a nearby hallway. Both Sasuke and Naruto froze, eyes wide and frantic.

Naruto snapped out of it first and squeezed Sasuke’s wrist, hard. That woke Sasuke up a bit as he was dragged upstairs.

They finally reached another classroom, and Naruto began to bang on it impatiently.

“Hey! It’s me, Naruto! Let us in!”

Nothing happened for a moment before the door suddenly opened. Sasuke didn’t see anything as he and Naruto were pulled inside harshly by a gloved hand.

“What were you two doing? We sent someone to pick students up near the cafeteria.”

Kakashi, along with both Sasuke and Naruto’s friends were the ones that were inside. Naruto sighed in relief and plopped down on a nearby desk, bringing a shaken Sasuke along with him.

“We left right away,” breathed Naruto. “I don’t know what code purple and red means, but they sounded bad, so we bolted.”

“Dumbass,” Kiba facepalmed.

“Shut up, Kiba! You didn’t know either,” Ino retorted.

“Red means there’s danger and protective action is needed. A code purple means the building's crisis team needs to assemble as soon as possible,” Neji informed.

Kakashi nodded as he continued to lock the doors and windows. 

“Something like this hasn’t happened here in a long time. Which means something terrible must be happening.”

Shikamaru’s eyes were glued on Sasuke, and Sasuke didn’t dare to look back at him. Instead, his hands were shaking as he reread his brother’s contact name.

Itachi couldn’t have… 

Could he have done it? 

“So, what now?” Naruto asked, instinctively moving closer to Sasuke.

“We stay here. Don’t worry, my duty is to protect you all with my life and I will make sure that all of you are safe until the end.”

“Gee, Kakashi Sensei. I didn’t know you were so poetic,” Suigetsu teased.

Karin punched him, comically hard, on the back of his head.

“Are you crazy, Sui?! We’re in the middle of a crisis and all you could do is joke?”

“Gosh, okay, I’m sorry-“

“Settle down, you two,” Juugo said, shutting the other two up.

They blinked at his tone, which seemed much more forced than usual. That led them to turning to Sasuke, who was uncharacteristically tense. No wonder Juugo was so uptight, he was trying to restrain himself while Sasuke couldn’t.

The mood was interrupted by the sudden sound coming from Kakashi’s two-way radio.

_“Kakashi, you there?”_

Everybody turned to look at Kakashi with wide eyes, waiting to hear more about what was going on.

“Yes, I’m here,” Kakashi answered, holding the radio up to his mask.

_“There’s been a code L1 HOM. It was PM. We’re keeping the students inside the classrooms for extra security measures. Wait there until the lockdown is lifted.”_

“Copy that,” was all Kakashi said as a click finalized his message.

Shikamaru stood up instantaneously. His experience as the son of the lead detective of Konoha City was enough for him to know all of the codes they used.

“An L1 HOM? A level one homicide?”

Everybody gasped and covered their mouths. Naruto’s mouth was agape. Oh, this wasn’t good at all.

“Don’t panic,” Kakashi ordered. “Yes, there was a homicide. It was premeditated, which means everybody aside from the victim is safe.”

That didn’t sway anybody from feeling alarm.

“Who _was_ the victim?” Sakura asked.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Suigetsu mumbled, “the victim was obviously Orochimaru.”

Both Sasuke and Shikamaru tensed. Something told them that the other knew exactly who the killer was.

“Shh, we don’t know yet,” reassured Kakashi.

Sasuke’s phone began to ring again, and Naruto turned to look at him with worry clear on his features. Sasuke bit his lip and swallowed thickly.

“Is it your brother again?” Naruto asked cautiously.

Sasuke shook his head. “It’s… my mom.”

Naruto’s eyes widened. Shit, he’d forgotten about his family.

As if on cue, Ino’s phone began to ring as well. She picked up right away.

“Dad? … Yeah, I’m at the school. Don’t worry, I’m fine— Yes, my friends are okay-.... Don’t worry about me, dad. We’re safe. I’m going to hang up now-“

Sasuke was also talking softly on the phone, and the others began to text their families. Naruto dug inside his pocket and realized a second later that he’d left his phone back downstairs.

“Shit,” he muttered. 

Tsunade and Minato were going to kill him once this was over, he knew it. 

“It’s okay, kaa-san. I’m with Kakashi and Naruto,” Sasuke said while holding his phone up to his ear with two hands, in a volume that Naruto could barely hear.

He hung up a couple of seconds later and turned to face Naruto, who was anxiously biting his thumb.

“Naruto? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, I just- fuck, I left my phone downstairs and I just know my parents are freaking out over me.”

Sasuke handed him his phone. “Call them with my phone, dobe.”

“God, Sasuke, marry me, seriously. Thank you,” Naruto said, taking Sasuke’s phone gratefully. He blushed at the implicit confession as he began pressing Tsunade’s number onto the touchscreen keypad.

It went straight to voicemail. Naruto clenched his hands into fists. What was going on? Tsunade always answered calls, even if they were unknown.

He tried again, but he was unsuccessful. It took him about six more tries before he finally succeeded.

As soon as he raised the phone to his ear, Tsunade’s loud, frantic voice rang out.

_“What the fuck do you want?!”_

“Granny!”

She gasped, recognizing Naruto’s voice. _“Naruto! Minato, he answered!”_

Naruto could hear his father’s voice yell _“what?!”_ in worried shock.

“Granny Tsunade, dad, I’m fine! Don’t worry about me,”

Some rustling. Minato’ voice was clear in his ear now.

_“Naruto, oh my God. Are you okay? Are you safe? We’ve heard about what’s happening on the news, and they’re blocking us from entering.”_

“Dad! Don’t worry, we’re all okay. Nothing’s going to happen, we’re in lockdown.”

Minato breathed out in relief on the other side. Some more rustling.

_“You’d better be okay, brat! Or else!”_

Naruto chuckled, glad that Tsunade was energetic despite the situation. 

“Alright, I’m going to hang up now. This is Sasuke’s phone, and I don’t want to use it for too long.”

They were hesitant for a moment, before finally accepting it. _“... Okay, fine. Just.. stay safe, alright? I love you, kid.”_

“I love you too, dad. Tell baa-chan I love her,” Naruto said.

_“Don’t worry, she can hear-“_

_“I love you too, brat.”_

_“-you. Again, I love you. Stay safe.”_

“I will, bye dad.”

_“Bye-bye.”_

Click. Naruto smiled softly and handed the phone to Sasuke. His family could be so overprotective of him sometimes, and he appreciated that. He didn’t ignore the way Sasuke’s fingers were trembling. 

Sasuke was trying his best not to bolt out and see the crime scene for himself. He knew it was wild and insane considering… well, everything, but still. It felt like he needed to. 

“Sasuke? Are you okay?” Naruto asked amongst the chatter.

“... I’m fine,” he lied. What else was he supposed to do, cry in front of everyone?

“You seemed pretty shaken, especially after your brother called.”

“It’s nothing,” he said almost instantly.

He didn’t notice that Shikamaru was secretly listening into their conversation.

Shikamaru’s eyes were narrowed. There was no way Sasuke wasn’t involved in this. The last time he’d seen Orochimaru, a knife was being held in front of him by Itachi. He’d known Uchiha Corp had done crazy things in the past, but he had no idea it was this bad.

The way Sasuke was acting made him seem even guiltier to Shikamaru. Shikamaru closed his eyes as he recalled a moment in their previous conversation.

_“He thought he could use the truth about my br-”_

The truth about his…

Something finally snapped together in Shikamaru’s mind. Two puzzle pieces found their way in his memory, causing him to almost jump.

The truth about his _brother._

Orochimaru thought he could use the truth about Sasuke’s brother against Sasuke. The truth? What truth? Did Itachi do something like this in the past? Shikamaru’s eyes remained glued onto Sasuke as the boy continued to tremble.

Naruto’s eyes were also focused on Sasuke, but for a different reason. He knew Sasuke didn’t do well in these situations, from experience.

“Hey, should I call Itachi? Just in case-”

“No, I’m fine,” Sasuke said hurriedly. Itachi being there would just make everything worse.

“Sasuke, you bastard. You look really pale, If something happens…”

“I told you, nothing will happen. I’m fine,” he insisted.

They finally heard sirens blaring outside, and ran to the windows to check out what was happening.

“Holy shit, Sui. You were right,” Karin breathed.

“It was really Orochimaru Sensei?” Lee asked.

“God damn, I can’t believe it.”

“He’s _dead?”_ Ino asked in disbelief.

Sasuke darted to the window as fast as he could and watched in shock as the long haired man was taken away. Only some time ago he’d been talking to Sasuke face to face. Some men stood nearby, with papers and photos in their hands. The one carrying a clipboard looked just like Shikamaru, whose eyes were wide.

“Hey, that’s my dad.”

“The head detective of the district is here, which means this is serious,” Neji observed. 

Kakashi nodded. “They must have found information related to the killer.”

Information… related to the killer.

Related to Itachi.

Sasuke felt his heart stop for too long. He couldn’t hear anything anymore, he’d already heard enough. It felt like a clamp was squeezing his skull. He mutely took some steps back, toppling on a nearby chair.

He didn’t know if he was sitting like that for seconds or hours, it didn’t feel like he was there anymore. There was no way Itachi could get caught. Itachi wasn’t reckless. Why was Sasuke rooting for him? He just felt so confused. His vision was becoming blurry, and panic seized him. This couldn’t be happening again, no way. He couldn’t move out of sheer terror. What was going to happen now?

Suddenly, he was brought back to reality when a warm hand squeezed his own. Naruto was in front of him while everybody faced them.

“Sasuke?”

Huh…? How did they get there?

“Naru… to?”

“That’s it, I’m calling your brother.”

“Nn, don’t-”

“Don’t, Naruto. I’ve already notified him,” Kakashi said. Naruto’s eyes widened in his direction, his hand not leaving Sasuke’s.

“Kakashi, _no-”_

Sasuke stood up out of pure hysteria. If Itachi came, maybe the police would find out it was him. Some DNA sample or something. Maybe they’d think he came back to take evidence. 

He was unaware of how crazy he must have looked to everyone else, and he didn’t care. All he was thinking about was Itachi. He didn’t know that he was making himself seem even guiltier to Shikamaru, who was watching in shock.

“Sasuke, calm down,” Kakashi commanded soothingly.

Sakura and Ino watched speechlessly as the formerly stoic Uchiha began to panic, staggering slightly.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Sasuke did his best to convince them and himself, but even he knew that he was not succeeding. His voice was raising pitch by several decibels each second. 

Cautious hands reached around Sasuke’s shoulders, in an attempt to steady him. Sasuke’s chest was heaving quickly as his vision began to blur, seeing two of everything.

“I think he’s having a…” The female voice echoed in his ears. 

As Shikamaru watched the entire ordeal, he became sure of something. Sasuke clearly knew Itachi did it, and he didn’t want him to get caught. Even Neji seemed suspicious. He knew that Sasuke was not fond of the physics teacher, so why was he freaking out?

Now that he thought about it, almost nobody was fond of Orochimaru, aside from a couple of students. Those students were rather devoted to and obsessed with science, though, so most normal people generally did not like the man.

Sasuke was whispering unintelligibly in Kakashi’s ear with an uncoordinated look in his eyes now, and Kakashi was nodding. Naruto watched helplessly, knowing that there was nothing he could do aside from attempting to touch Sasuke reassuringly.

Kakashi’s remote suddenly beeped, indicating that someone was about to speak. Everyone’s attention was turned to it, now.

_“HOM was an attempt. The suspect has been identified.”_

Sasuke’s eyes rolled back into his head as he crumpled down to the floor.

Everyone reacted in their own ways. Ino and Karin gasped and clasped their hands above their mouths, Lee, Suigetsu and Kiba’s eyes were wide. Juugo stepped forward before stopping himself, knowing he would only make the situation worse. Sakura’s throat tightened as she fought the tears away from her eyes. Neji only bit his tongue.

Naruto shouted his name and fell to kneel beside him, placing his finger on Sasuke’s palm like he knew what was happening. Kakashi’s eyes softened, Naruto knew exactly what to do. 

Naruto was about to ask the questions he needed to ask when the sound of a key twisting inside of a lock shut everybody up. A familiar, tall figure wearing a suit rushed in along with four others.

It was Itachi and two bodyguards, followed by two medics. Naruto quickly stood aside, next to Sakura and Ino, whose eyes were wide and rimmed with tears.

Shikamaru’s mouth was agape with incredulity. There was just no way. If the suspect was identified… How was Itachi here? Nothing made sense anymore, Shikamaru felt crazy.

This was impossible, he realized as the reflection of Itachi injecting something into Sasuke’s bloodstream made an imprint in his memory. Shikamaru jumped and ran to the window, followed by Neji who also made a connection in his head.

“Holy shit,” Shikamaru whispered.

The person being dragged to the cop car was…

Neji glared frighteningly at the sight. The person that was struggling against the police was Kabuto Yakushi. Neji’s classmate, who was heavily immersed in science. He was one of Orochimaru’s favorite students, and he never hid that Orochimaru was his favorite teacher.

Kabuto was screaming and thrashing around as he was shoved harshly inside of the car. He’d always been so level headed in school.

Shikamaru just didn’t understand. None of this made sense anymore. He turned to look at Sasuke, who was shaking while Itachi held him down. He walked over to Naruto, who was holding onto his necklace.

“What’s going on with him?”

Naruto swallowed and shook his head. “I, uh.. he-“

He was cut off by a choked sob that came from someone that they’d never expect it from. 

Sasuke was facing away, but there was no question that it had come from him.

Sasuke was crying. Sasuke was crying? Sasuke? It was unbelievable.

Itachi wrapped his arms around Sasuke and lifted him in a seated position in a flash, pulling Kakashi over and muttering something to him. Kakashi nodded and pulled out his remote.

“Principal Sarutobi, this is Kakashi. Will the lockdown be lifted anytime soon?”

_“We’re on it.”_

“Alright. There’s a code blue that’s been taken care of. What should we do?”

_“Ah, I see. Line the students up outside the room and make sure everybody is in your sight.”_

“Understood,” was all Kakashi said as he placed the remote back into his pocket.

“You heard him. Come with me, everyone.”

Every kid hesitantly walked towards him, their eyes focused on Sasuke. 

The two siblings had their backs turned against them, unaware of the rest of the world. Naruto couldn’t help but just stand there dumbly.

Damn, he wanted to do something, he really did. He bit his lip and walked towards them, despite Kakashi’s hushed protest. He didn’t do anything, he just watched for a moment before digging in his bag and placing Sasuke’s kaleidoscope and tickets on the floor beside them.

Itachi really was a good brother. He paid no attention to anything but Sasuke, letting the boy’s tears soak his chest. Naruto smiled sadly. Sasuke had done the same thing with him.

Shikamaru watched from the side. When Naruto turned his back against Itachi and walked over to the others, Shikamaru caught sight of Itachi’s face.

Dread and alarm struck him when he realized Itachi was staring straight at him from the corner of his eye. His expression was emotionless, but it was deadly. As if he was challenging him. The arms wrapped around Sasuke tightened slightly as Itachi’s eyes slowly moved to Naruto. 

Shikamaru stilled. Itachi knew he was onto him. His loafers were glued to the ground. Itachi was almost daring him to say something. His eyes were dark and narrow, the eyes that Shikamaru’s father had always warned him about.

There was no doubt, Itachi was the one that killed Orochimaru. And if Shikamaru or Naruto made one wrong step, they’d be next.

That was the ultimate price they’d have to pay for being close to Sasuke.

* * *

"Naruto, oh my God!"

Tsunade sprinted over to him and jumped on him, hugging and squeezing the air out of him.

"H- hey, baa-chan, I can't breathe-"

"Shut up, we were worried sick," she said. Minato was next to arrive, wrapping his arms around Naruto tightly.

"Thank God you're okay," he whispered. Naruto smiled softly. 

Minato pulled away awkwardly and ruffled Naruto's hair. Kotetsu gave Naruto a pat on the shoulder, earning a smile from Naruto. The driver cared a lot about him, just as much as the other two.

"Let's all have ramen, what do you say, Naruto?" 

"Hell yeah!" He exclaimed. 

Minato and Tsunade sighed in relief. Luckily Naruto was high-spirited as always. There was still something unreadable in him, but that was to be expected. They knew things weren't going to be the same after today.

Naruto waved goodbye to his friends and allowed himself to be taken to the car. 

"What a long day," he muttered to himself as he played around with his phone in his pocket. He was lucky enough to make a stop at the courtyard to grab it before they left.

His thoughts could not leave Sasuke. Naruto wished he was able to stay with him, but he knew it wasn't possible. He watched the commotion outside, parents reaching for their children and consoling them.

He noticed one family in particular, dark haired and midnight eyed, emerging from a sleek, expensive black car. It was Sasuke's family. Naruto felt a pang of sympathy for them. If he was scared for Sasuke, they must have been terrified.

They were lucky to have kids like Sasuke and Itachi, who cared deeply about each other. Naruto smiled to himself. He wished he had a brother like Itachi.

He should have been careful of what he wished for.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Why is it that I’m the only one who doesn’t know these things?” Naruto groaned, burying his face in the pillow.

**_A month and a half later:_ **

“And all I want for Christma-a-as…”

Kiba dragged it on for a while before he was interrupted by Suigetsu.

“Is a semi-normal life again.”

Everybody bursted out in laughter, Naruto included. Suigetsu was right, their life hadn’t been normal in a while. Their days were full of witness reports and testimonies, and the school was closed for two weeks.

“Seriously, though,” added Ino.

“I mean, if it wasn’t for that, we all wouldn’t have been friends,” Naruto pointed out.

The others nodded. After _“that day,”_ the two groups of kids decided to stick around each other. 

Everyone knew about Sasuke’s condition now. In the beginning, Sasuke hated it, but he later realized that the others could actually keep a secret, and didn’t define him by his injury. 

“Y’know, I used to dislike you guys. But you really aren’t that bad,” said Karin.

“Yeah, the circumstances were kind of strange, but you four are actually pretty cool,” Kiba mused.

Juugo nodded as he taped a snowflake onto a pillar.

They were all out in charge of decorating the auditorium for the holidays that were quickly approaching. Naruto and Sasuke were making the decorations out of paper while the others taped them onto the walls and pillars along with the premade ones.

“Hey, Sasuke! You saved my dango for me, right?”

Sasuke looked up at Kiba and nodded. “Yeah,” he said while digging in his messenger bag for a black box he kept his food in. He pulled out the last dango stick and handed it to the brunet.

“Sweet! Tell your mom I said I love her.”

“Me too,” Suigetsu added.

“Me three,” Ino shouted from the far corner of the auditorium.

“Me fo-“

“Okay, okay, I’ll tell her all of you said it,” Sasuke concluded.

Naruto laughed. He was glad that Sasuke was growing to become more comfortable with his friends. 

Sakura and Shikamaru walked over to the two boys and reached down for some more decorations.

Like she had promised, Sakura and Ino decided not to interfere with Sasuke and Naruto’s obviously impending relationship. Honestly, anyone could see that they liked each other. She and Ino, along with everyone else, learned about the truth of what happened in middle school a bit of time after Sasuke had informed them of his condition.

Sakura was glad things turned out this way. She was glad things were finally running smoothly between everyone again.

On the other hand, Shikamaru was doing his best to act as normal as he could around Sasuke. It seemed like he was the only one who knew how dangerous this entire thing was. 

For some reason, Itachi was not fond of Naruto and Shikamaru. Well, the reason for Shikamaru was obvious, but why Naruto? Maybe he was just… extremely worried for Sasuke. No, that wasn’t it. 

He knew Itachi was challenging him. Like he was waiting for Shikamaru to tell someone or dig in even deeper. But Shikamaru really could care less, for all it was worth, if it was just Sasuke he was worried about. That was all thrown out the window due to the inclusion of Naruto. 

It was really Naruto who he was worried about. When Shikamaru had told him how to go about with his crush on Sasuke, he wouldn’t have ever known that it would be this troublesome. After all, who would have thought that _Itachi_ would be the wall they’d have to overcome?

Shikamaru had always suspected it would be difficult because of all the girls that liked Naruto or Sasuke. They were the two junior heartthrobs of the school. Plus, the whole thing with Sasuke, Sakura and Ino was an issue as well.

But no, now they had to worry about _murder_ and _crime_ and all these things that were just too much of a drag for Shikamaru to keep up with.

He didn’t want to be that annoying wannabe detective, but he felt like he had to. Especially now, with Itachi carefully monitoring them from behind.

Talk about a possessive older brother. That guy seriously must have issues.

Shikamaru knew that what he was doing was completely wrong. After all, the police had arrested the wrong person due to Itachi’s scary precision when it came to toying with evidence.

Kabuto was _framed,_ and Shikamaru let it happen. Now he was complicit, which meant that if Itachi did get caught, he would be in trouble as well. 

“What a pain,” he muttered under his breath as he pasted another gingerbread man onto the wall.

Itachi killed- well, almost killed, he was on life support now, Orochimaru because Orochimaru was associated with Sasuke through the Ryuchi organization. 

That was what Shikamaru put it as, in a nutshell. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes and stared at the gingerbread man. There were pictures that painted the Ryuchi organization in a bad light, which meant that Itachi could have been doing it for Sasuke’s safety.

So there was no need for Itachi to come for him and Naruto, right?

 _Wrong,_ he thought bitterly. Now that Shikamaru knew, he was an automatic hazard for the Uchiha. 

Naruto was the only puzzle piece that didn’t fit. It made no sense, Naruto was perfect for Sasuke. 

Shikamaru’s eyes widened as he almost crumpled the decoration in his hand.

Was Itachi targeting Naruto because of Namikaze Tech?

Was he really doing it for the sake of Uchiha Corp?

That couldn’t be. The two companies were in a partnership now. He turned to look at the two boys, who seemed to be oblivious to the rest of the room, lost in their own world. His expression softened. They were made for each other.

_So why do you want to ruin it, Itachi Uchiha?_

* * *

Naruto hopped above the table and sat in his seat, rather dramatically. He placed his mug of hot chocolate above the cafeteria table. Sasuke rolled his eyes at the theatrical display, taking a sip of his peppermint tea.

“What does that even taste like? Hot peppermint juice?”

“It’s just tea with peppermint leaves, idiot.”

Naruto made a face and took a careful sip of his hot chocolate, hoping it wasn’t too hot. It wasn’t, to his relief. It was just the right temperature.

It was Konoha High tradition to add festive snacks and drinks to their lunch menu during the winter. Naruto picked up a frosted sugar cookie and took a bite.

“God, I love these. They’re so dry, but they’re delicious.”

Sasuke snorted and picked up his spoon, dipping it into his bowl of tomato soup and swirling it around so it would cool faster. He was pretty new to this tradition, but he didn’t mind it. Tomatoes were his favorite food, anyways. 

The two of them were waiting for the rest of their friends to arrive. They got to leave their last class early, so they had plenty of time to eat their lunch.

The soup tasted just as he expected, tomatoey and kind of sweet. Sasuke picked up some bread to eat along with his soup. 

Sasuke and Itachi were on good terms again. It had taken a while for Sasuke to trust his older brother after everything that happened. He closed his eyes as he inserted the spoon into his mouth.

Itachi had claimed that it was self-defense. As soon as he said that, Sasuke yelled at him. He didn’t believe Itachi one bit. Then Itachi said it was for Sasuke’s safety. Sasuke struggled to believe that it was for him, until Itachi showed him evidence that what he was saying was correct. 

Pictures upon pictures and documents and contracts of what Orochimaru had been up to were enough to shut Sasuke up. Apparently the man had taken experimentation a little too far, focusing on humans and animals for his research. 

But Sasuke was still against Kabuto being framed. Itachi only shook his head, informing him that Kabuto had been involved in the entire thing. He was given the same offer as Sasuke, and jumped in right away. 

_“Maybe he was blackmailed into it, like me,”_ Sasuke had suggested.

_“Maybe he was. But he ended up enjoying it just as much as Orochimaru.”_

Those words chilled Sasuke to the bone. Who would enjoy doing that type of thing? 

Sasuke sighed. As much as he didn’t agree with Itachi’s methods, Sasuke would have been done for if it wasn’t for him. Maybe Orochimaru was aiming to make _him_ one of his test subjects. The teacher slash mad scientist was on life support now, barely clinging onto whatever remnants of life he had. 

_So even if Itachi had done it, which he obviously had, it wasn’t really murder,_ Sasuke tried to reason with himself. But it was almost there, and that was still terrible. Wasn’t it justified, though? Orochimaru was doing things that were much worse than that.

Naruto stretched in his seat, causing Sasuke to look up at him. Naruto had done so much for Sasuke in the time that he knew him. Sasuke had never thought that he’d ever make any friends or even have the slightest bit of fun in high school.

“Oh yeah, Naruto-“ 

Naruto blinked and faced upwards, tilting his head in confusion.

“Yeah?”

Sasuke pulled a piece of paper with some text and a design on it, slightly blushing at the formality. He handed it over to Naruto, who took it and read it over.

“It’s an invitation. My family wants to invite you over for Christmas. Including me,” he added as he looked away.

Naruto grinned. “Really? Your family wants me over?”

“Yes, idiot. I told you, my mom likes you.”

“Ah! I’m flattered, seriously,” Naruto said while the skin around his eyes crinkled in happiness.

Sasuke smirked and took another sip of his peppermint tea. “And don’t worry about the date, it’s going to be the day after Christmas so you can still celebrate with your family.”

Naruto nodded, placing the invitation into the pocket of his blazer.

“Sounds good, I’m definitely coming.”

“Good,” said Sasuke. “But I’m warning you, my family’s a little… unusual.”

Naruto chuckled nervously. He wondered what Sasuke meant by that. All of a sudden he felt intimidated. What if all of Sasuke’s family were stoic and imperturbable like Fugaku and Itachi Uchiha? Maybe they were like Sasuke’s mom, easygoing and kind. She liked to make Sasuke’s friends mochi, dango and other Japanese snacks that they all enjoyed immensely.

“Trust me, I think I can handle unusual. But— how should I dress? Like, is everyone going to be wearing suits and stuff? Should I be all formal?”

“Relax. I’m only going to wear a turtleneck and pants. Don’t stress too much about it.”

“Hey, I can’t help it. I want to make a good impression.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “I think you already have, after saving me from going into a coma.”

“You make me sound like I’m some type of hero, it was basically your phone that did all the work!”

Sasuke shoved a sugar cookie in Naruto’s mouth, shutting him up effectively aside from the muffled noises that came from the blond.

“You talk too much, just eat the cookie.”

Naruto finally gave up and snatched the cookie away from Sasuke’s hand, chewing it carefully so that he wouldn’t choke.

“Bastard!”

“Idiot.”

"Teme!"

"Dobe."

“And the mating calls have begun,” said Suigetsu as he sat down at Sasuke’s left.

Naruto and Sasuke simultaneously froze in embarrassment before Naruto huffed, trying to play it off.

“What about you and _Karin?_ You two are practically married,” Naruto retorted.

“Hey, now that’s a stretch. That girl is crazy,” Suigetsu bit into his garlic knot. 

Naruto smiled. He wasn’t wrong, Karin was a bit… off whenever it came to Suigetsu. Maybe she was a… uh, he forgot what it was called. The types of girls that acted like they hated the person they had a crush on.

They sat, chattering for a moment while their lunchroom table continued to fill up. 

Juugo was the last person to arrive. He looked a bit troubled, which caused everyone to look at him with worry.

“Hey, Juugo. You okay?”

“Yes.. Sorry. I just learned about something and I’m feeling kind of..”

“Aw, buddy. Sit here,” Suigetsu patted the unoccupied seat next to him. Juugo sighed and followed with his request, placing his lunch tray down.

“So, what’s up?” Kiba asked as he rested his head on his palm.

Juugo was a very tall, muscled and untalkative person, but he was also gentle and kind. Most people knew to back off and leave him be when he was angry, and when they didn’t, well, they’d often find themselves in the nurse’s office.

Juugo sighed. Sasuke kept his eyes on the orange haired teen. Juugo often never talked about how he was feeling, so this mustn’t have been good.

“My.. former foster brother attempted suicide a couple of days ago.”

Silence. Everybody looked at him with sympathy. Suigetsu’s mouth was wide open.

“Kimimaro? What? Why?”

Juugo shrugged. “I don’t know, but he’s in the hospital. He’s very sick now.”

Karin frowned and looked down. “That’s so.. wow, I hope he gets better soon.”

“Yeah,” Suigetsu said. “He was always so.. I don’t know, I never expected him to do anything like that.”

Sasuke’s lips parted in surprise. He was glad he hadn’t said anything, since he’d assumed that Kimimaro was already dead from the last time Juugo had talked about him.

“I’m sorry that happened, Juugo,” Sasuke finally said.

The others murmured the same thing in agreement while Sasuke looked down at his food.

Where had he heard that name before? Kimimaro. It was just at the tip of his tongue.

“To Kimimaro Kaguya,” Suigetsu announced while raising his mug of hot chocolate.

“To Kimimaro Kaguya!” Everyone shouted as everyone clinked their mugs and cups together.

Kaguya...

Sasuke gasped softly. Kimimaro Kaguya! The white haired guy that worked with Orochimaru. The world was such a small place, he realized. Everybody was associated with each other somehow.

The group was smiling again, focusing on making Juugo feel better. Everyone was in a festive mood since the holidays were coming. 

Naruto grinned and looked at Sasuke. “I can’t wait until I get to meet your family.”

* * *

“Holy crap, I’m not ready.”

Naruto stood in front of the mirror, running fingers through his hair. Neji sighed while the others rolled their eyes.

“You’ll be fine, Naruto. You’re worrying too much.”

“No way! They’re just so… I don’t know, I’m scared I’ll get judged.”

“They’re the ones that invited you,” Gaara pointed out as he took another one or Naruto’s peppermint candies.

Kiba was hanging off of Naruto’s bed on his back. He was stuffed from all the food they ate with their families during the Christmas feast.

“I _know,_ but I still need to make a good first impression,” Naruto said. “What the hell do I even wear?”

“A t-shirt and pants,” Shikamaru suggested, picking between his teeth with a toothpick.

Naruto frowned. Sasuke _had_ told him to dress normally, but what did normal even mean for the Uchihas? They always seemed to be wearing suits, or vests, or dress shirts. 

Naruto sighed dramatically and fell back on his bed, ignoring Kiba’s yelp.

“It’s not like they know you have a massive crush on the guy, just act natural,” said Shikamaru.

“Yeah. You’re pretty hard to dislike, you’ll be fine,” Neji added.

Naruto slightly smiled at that before taking a deep breath. “Man, I need to stop overthinking things.”

Kiba snorted. “Trust me, same. No offense, Neji, but your family is fucking scary. Luckily Hinata saved me before I completely embarrassed myself.”

“None taken, this is coming from someone who completely hated the way my family worked,” Neji smiled.

Gaara finished the piece of candy he was munching on and stared at Shikamaru.

“How are you and my sister?”

“Eh. A little confusing, but all girls are confusing, so we’re doing pretty well,” Shikamaru answered.

Gaara nodded, deeming it an acceptable response. Shikamaru let out a breath. He really didn’t want to get on Gaara’s bad side.

“Hey, wait, are all of us dating someone except for Naruto?” Kiba asked.

“No,” Neji shook his head. “Gaara isn’t either.”

“Damn. You thinking of anyone, Gaara?”

“No. I could care less about that type of thing.”

“Jeez. Guys, I think we should get Gaara laid or something.”

“Pfft, as if _you_ have,” Naruto shot back.

“Hey! I totally have!”

“Even I can tell that’s a lie,” Neji said.

“You’re like, 16, Kiba. You’ve still got time ahead of you,” Shikamaru reassured him.

“Obviously all of us haven’t,” Gaara concluded. 

Naruto shrugged. He wasn’t wrong. The topic of getting laid was obviously out of the question for all of them. Sure, they could be reckless idiots sometimes, but at least they weren’t the types of people that made fun of virgins.

“And now we’re left with Naruto. Our favorite real-life Romeo,” Kiba grinned wolfishly.

“Romeo and Juliet was a _forbidden_ romance, I don’t think Naruto and Sasuke fit into that,” Neji said.

Shikamaru sighed. If only they knew.

“True. They’re just too pussy to tell each other.”

“Hey! That’s not true. It’s just… ugh, what if he likes someone else?”

A hysterical cackle came from the doorway. The boys’ heads whipped in its direction. Sakura and Ino were standing there, along with Temari, Tenten and Hinata. The girls were doing their own thing in the other room, so they were a bit confused to see them standing there.

“Sasuke doesn’t just have crushes on anyone, idiot,” said Sakura.

Naruto blushed, turning redder than the ornament on the bed.

“How long were you-“

“Stupid. We’ve known since way before that,” Ino laughed. “It’s so obvious.”

“Why is it that I’m the only one who doesn’t know these things?” Naruto groaned, burying his face in the pillow.

The girls walked in, taking their respective seats. Hinata smiled and skipped over to Kiba’s side, who welcomed her with open arms. Temari smirked and sat next to Shikamaru, who only gawked at the gorgeous makeup she had put on. Tenten sat behind Neji, hugging him and braiding his long hair. That was pretty unlike Neji, letting someone touch his hair. Naruto guessed love just did that to people. 

“You two should, like, kiss under the mistletoe or something,” Sakura suggested. “That would be super cute.”

“Hell no! That’s..”

“I’m with Naruto on this one. That’s too cliche,” Shikamaru drawled.

Naruto crossed his arms. Now he was even more embarrassed to visit the Uchihas, thanks to his friends.

“Some friends you guys are,” he mumbled before dodging a pillow thrown at him by Kiba.

Sakura giggled and took a peppermint.

“Gosh, you and Sasuke need to date as soon as possible. Seriously,” Ino said.

“Right? I’m tired of seeing them dance around each other like that,” Tenten added.

“You too?!” Naruto whined. She giggled in response.

The conversation continued for a while after that. Like always, Tsunade’s roast beef was burnt and disgusting, but they ate it anyway. Luckily the rest of the kids’ parents made their own versions of the main dish, so they were able to leave the dining room with full stomachs. 

Finally, Naruto felt courage begin to soothe his nerves. He walked over in front of everyone and cleared his throat.

“You know what? I’m going to tell Sasuke.”

Sakura gasped and Kiba grinned. Neji smiled and nodded while everyone else clapped and gave him a thumbs up.

“I’m going to tell him that I like him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next one is probably going to be one of my favorites, since it's going to be pretty lighthearted and I love that. This fanfic has been a huge stress reliever for me so I'm spending a considerable amount of time on it. Again, thanks for reading!


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “That’s uncle Madara,” Sasuke whispered. “He’s banned from multiple countries in Europe, nine restaurants in South Korea and twenty-four car dealerships in the U.S. I suggest you stay away from him.”

_Deck the halls with boughs of holly_

_Fa la la la la, la la la la_

A hooded figure wearing only black swiftly moved across the large crowds. Nobody stopped to take a good look at him, his handsome face was already enough for them to deem him normal.

He removed his hood and opened the door to the hospital. He smiled at the receptionist, telling her that he needed to visit someone. He gave her a random name and let himself be taken to the dementia patient’s room. 

The nurse waved goodbye and left him, watching as he walked into the room. 

The dementia patient looked at him in confusion. She had never seen the man before, perhaps she had forgotten. He smiled again, easing the woman, and removed his jacket, rummaging in a cabinet to find a spare lab coat and a clipboard. 

“Do I… know you?” The patient asked.

“Yes, you do. I am your grandson,” the man answered as he began to wear the lab coat, placing the stethoscope around his neck carefully. He wore a pair of glasses as well, slightly hiding his dark eyes.

“Ah… You must be Haru,” she said, a weary smile gracing her elderly features.

“Yes,” came the deep, level voice of the dark haired man.

He removed the hair tie from his long hair and ran fingers through it, making sure it wasn’t knotted. The woman began to speak, telling him about how she couldn’t remember anything anymore. He nodded along, acting as if he cared.

“Haru… I didn’t know you were a doctor.”

He hummed quietly. “You don’t know a lot of things about me, grandmother.”

She laughed tiredly. “I suppose I don’t. Stay with me, Haru-chan… I want to learn more about you.”

“I’m sorry, grandmother. I need to visit a patient,” the man answered. His back was turned to the old woman as he walked out, ignoring the dejected look on her face.

“Haru…”

The door clicked and opened, and the man exited as he tied his hair into a neat ponytail.

Before she could say anything, he shut the door.

_'Tis the season to be jolly_

_Fa la la la la, la la la la_

The man blended in easily with the rest of the doctors and medical staff. He held the clipboard against him and walked swiftly down the hallway. He opened the door to the next hallway, with a sign that said _Life Support._

A doctor was leaving from a room next to the one he was aiming to enter. The man’s black bangs were enough to cover most of his face as he walked past him.

The door to the patient’s room was locked, but he had planned this perfectly. The doctor of whom he’d stolen the coat from had the room’s key. He dug around in his pocket and pulled the piece of metal out.

It clicked as he twisted the key in the lock. He walked inside and closed the door quietly behind him. It didn’t matter if the patient could hear, he was under life support anyways. The soft beeps that indicated that his heart was barely beating were enough for the man to walk over to the bed.

Itachi watched as Orochimaru’s body struggled for more air. It was obvious that the man was going to die very soon. He sat at Orochimaru’s bedside. 

Orochimaru had no family. They were all either missing or dead, so nobody had the choice to pull the plug. He had no friends either, so nobody visited. No one was allowed to visit, so his fanatic students could not either.

Itachi left Orochimaru alive on purpose. He wanted Orochimaru to suffer as he remained barely conscious, depending on a machine like his experiments had.

To think Orochimaru was going to do the same with Sasuke was blood boiling. Enough to make Itachi murderous after eight years.

_Don we now our gay apparel_

_Fa la la la la, la la la la_

As much as he knew he’d done it for Sasuke, there was no doubt in Itachi’s mind that he’d done it for himself as well. Sasuke was his only source of emotion. Without Sasuke, Itachi wasn’t Itachi. 

And that was what led him to standing up and placing both hands above Orochimaru’s throat. He didn’t squeeze yet as he watched his fingers, rising and falling with each breath he took while Orochimaru’s neck did not move at all. He didn’t smile, or feel amused. He truly believed that this was necessary.

_Troll the ancient Yuletide carol_

He finally let his hands sink to Orochimaru’s throat, his fingers curling around it. He decided to get it over with quickly, pressing down hard enough to feel the light pulse slowing down. It didn’t even try to quicken, there was no energy left.

The deed was finally finished when the machine started to blare loudly. Itachi took it as his initiative to leave.

The receptionist downstairs jumped, seeing the red and white flashing on her computer screen. She pulled out the radio and spoke into it.

_“Patient in room 45 is flatlining. Get there immediately.”_

Real doctors rushed over to the room and bolted inside, attempting to bring Orochimaru back.

But it was already too late, and no remnants of Itachi remained.

_Fa la la la la, la la la la_

* * *

Naruto watched as fuzzy white snow fell from the sky, scattering apart from each other and melting on the ground.

It was barely snowing, that’s what the city got for being so polluted. Kotetsu pressed a button, causing the windshields to wipe the car’s front window back and forth. Naruto sighed, holding the present in his hands.

“You excited?”

“I’m _nervous,”_ he answered honestly.

Kotetsu only chuckled. “Don’t fret, kid. I’m sure Sasuke’s just as nervous as you.”

“Yeah, nervous that I’ll ruin the whole thing! Look at what I’m wearing,” Naruto said, pointing to his outfit.

He was wearing a marmalade colored shirt, which was kind of orange and kind of red at the same time. He paired the shirt with regular black pants and sneakers. Hopefully the coat he was wearing would hide the obvious lack of effort he’d put in his outfit.

See, Naruto had been so wary of what to wear that by the time he had to leave, he’d picked nothing since all he was doing was standing in front of the closet. So now here he was, wearing clothes he’d only taken from his closet because he had no time left to choose.

“What you’re wearing is fine, Naruto. You’ll be completely fine.”

Naruto sighed. “You haven’t seen them. They’re so.. different from us. I’m scared they’ll, I dunno, judge me or something.”

“For what?” Kotetsu didn’t face Naruto, he only kept his eyes on the road. “I don’t see anything that can cause any judging.”

“Cause you’re not seeing! Maybe I’ll be too loud, or clumsy, or annoying, I don’t know.”

“They’re the ones that invited you. They want your company, and if you’re talking about your personality, I’m sure they’ll love it.”

Naruto sighed. He loved Kotetsu, but sometimes he couldn’t tell if the guy was ever serious or not since he was always so sarcastic.

“... What if they get underwhelmed?”

“If they do, then you’ll know they’re only living in that wild imagination of yours. Your smile will light up their day, I promise.”

Naruto smiled bashfully and looked down. Talk about a real confidence booster. Kotetsu stopped the car at a red light and turned around to flick Naruto in the forehead.

“Stop being so insecure. They invited _you,_ so be yourself. They wouldn’t have invited you if they wanted to see a façade.”

_But what if they don’t like me?_

“And if they don’t like you, they’re not human. You can make the saddest people happy with that contagious smile.”

Naruto laughed quietly and rubbed his forehead while Kotetsu turned back around. Kotetsu was like a cool, adult older brother. He was right, too. Naruto was invited because they wanted to see Naruto, not someone else.

A memory of Jiraiya flashed in his head, and Naruto couldn’t help but smile. Jiraiya always used to tell him to be proud of who he was, no matter what.

They finally arrived at the Uchiha manor, and Naruto couldn’t help but shiver in excitement. He was going to meet Sasuke’s entire family!

Kotetsu opened the rear door and helped him out of the car along with the gift box. Naruto took a deep breath in and straightened out his clothes, along with the coat he wore above them.

“Have fun, kid,” Kotetsu said while nudging Naruto in the door’s direction.

Naruto did his best to hug Kotetsu with the gift in his other arm. Kotetsu hugged back and patted the teen’s back lightly.

“Bye, Kotetsu!” Naruto called as he jogged over to the front door. Kotetsu saluted in his direction and entered the car.

Naruto let out a breath when he reached the door, watching it escape in saturated puffs. He breathed in through his nostrils and pressed the doorbell.

He tried to look busy, looking at anything but the door as he waited. He finally heard light footsteps that thudded from the other side, a clear sign that the person was running.

Finally he heard a click, then creaking. He turned his face to the door and found Sasuke’s mother.

“Naruto! It’s so good to see you,” she said, wasting no time to wrap her arms around him. 

Okay, he was off to a perfect start. Sasuke’s mom already liked him. Naruto grinned and hugged back.

“It’s nice to see you too, miss Uchiha.”

“Please, call me Mikoto. Or mom, if you’d like,” she pulled away, her eyes closed and formed into arcs.

Naruto smiled and nodded, allowing himself to be brought inside. Like last time, the interior was beautiful. It was still a bit dark, but Mikoto’s attitude was enough to lighten the mood up dramatically.

“I’ll take your coat,” she said.

“Ah, alright,” Naruto said, taking the unzipped jacket off with ease, switching the box between his hands, and handing it to her.

“Oh, right, I’ve got these gifts for you guys. Is there a place I could put them?”

“Oh my gosh, you didn’t have to,” Mikoto raised a hand to cover her mouth. “Just seeing you here was enough. Thank you so much, Naruto.”

She took the box from his hands gratefully. Her dark eyes that resembled Sasuke’s greatly were squinting out of happiness. 

“Sasuke’s upstairs, getting ready with Itachi. You can join them, if you’d like.”

“Alright, thanks mom!”

Mikoto’s smile didn’t leave her face. Instead, it widened. It was wonderful to see that Sasuke was making friends his age, especially an angel like Naruto.

Naruto walked over to the staircase, shocked at how long it was. Damn, Sasuke had to walk up and down these stairs every day?

“Oh, Naruto, there’s an elevator right there, just take a right and it’ll be in your line of vision.”

Naruto followed her instructions and walked through the archway. Just like she said, the elevator was right there. Naruto almost skipped over to it. Oh, how he’d wished his father had invested in elevators like these in his own house.

Fugaku Uchiha was a smart man, Naruto concluded as he entered the elevator. Now, going upstairs wasn’t going to be such a workout. Sasuke was a very lucky person.

Naruto’s mouth opened when he saw the labels next to the buttons. Each button had a label explaining which rooms were on each floor. This was next level genius. There was also a map behind him that showed where exactly each room was.

 _Wow_ was all he could think as he pressed on the third button, floor 2. The first button was the basement. The Uchihas must have had a lot of visitors.

As the elevator doors closed, the box beginning to move upwards, Naruto wondered what Mikoto had meant.

_“Sasuke’s upstairs, getting ready with Itachi.”_

Now that he thought about it, the smell of food hadn’t reached his nose yet. Were they going somewhere?

Ding. He finally made it and walked past the doors of the elevator. Immediately, he heard a shout.

“Itachi, you asshole! You know how Shisui gets when you show him those pictures!”

Naruto chuckled, wondering what pictures Sasuke was talking about. There was a quiet, muffled noise, probably Itachi before Sasuke began to shout again.

“So what? It’s so _embarrassing_ when he shows them to everyone else!”

Naruto was finally near the door, and he could see that Itachi and Sasuke were facing each other. Itachi was holding a picture up while Sasuke was reaching up to snatch it. It was brotherhood at its finest.

“You were only a baby, Sasuke. It’s not embarrassing.”

“Shut up, it is!”

Naruto snorted, trying to keep his laughter held in before he let go, laughing out loud and gaining the attention of the two Uchihas. Sasuke’s mouth was agape, and the reason why was because of the god-awful sweater he was wearing.

Sasuke’s face gradually turned red with each second before he darted out of sight. Itachi only smirked before smiling politely at Naruto.

“Hello, Naruto. Merry Christmas, come in if you’d like.”

Naruto finally collected his breaths and sighed, smiling at Itachi. “It’s nice to see you, Itachi.” He walked inside of the room, snickering as Sasuke pulled the sweater off, leaving his turtleneck slightly fuzzy.

The warm light radiated off of Sasuke’s almost translucent face, and Naruto couldn’t help but let his gaze stay there for some time. He watched Sasuke cross his arms and step in Naruto’s direction.

“You saw nothing, dobe.”

“Sure I haven’t,” Naruto snickered.

Sasuke blushed and Itachi smiled. “I’ll leave you two,” he said. 

Naruto grinned and waved as Itachi left, unaware of how the man really felt.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and closed the door after Itachi walked away. He turned around and leaned against the door, crossing his arms.

Naruto gave Sasuke a quick once over, impressed by the outfit. It was just as Sasuke said, he was wearing a brown turtleneck and black pants. A cream colored overcoat was splayed out on the table next to him, along with the ugly sweater that Sasuke had been wearing.

“I made it when I was in the second grade,” Sasuke clarified in embarrassment. “It was too big, so my mom left it for me when I got older. She found it earlier and made me try it on.”

Naruto’s smile was wide. “Well, it definitely fits you now.”

“Shut up,” Sasuke mumbled, taking a couple of steps over to Naruto.

“Hey, your mom said you guys were getting ready. Are we going somewhere else?”

“Oh, right,” Sasuke shifted his weight on one leg. “We’re going to the Uchiha Compound in the countryside. That’s where my ancestors used to live a long time ago, and it’s tradition to go there for family gatherings.”

Naruto’s eyebrows reached his hairline in astonishment. He was honored to be part of Sasuke’s family’s tradition.

“Wow, that’s really cool.”

“Yeah. I’ll give you a tour when we get there.”

“Sounds good,” Naruto said, clasping his hands together.

He helped Sasuke get everything ready, and brought the items downstairs. His family was fully dressed now, including his Father, whose face was stony as he talked to who Naruto supposed was the driver.

“That’s Izumo,” Sasuke informed him. “My driver.”

Mikoto was adjusting her earrings and makeup in the mirror. Itachi was behind her, helping her fix her hair. Sasuke walked to the front with Naruto, and Fugaku cleared his throat.

“You boys are going to take your own car. Izumo will drive you. Your mother and I will take another.”

“Alright,” Itachi affirmed. 

Naruto was bubbling with anticipation as he, Sasuke and Itachi walked to the long, sleek black car on the driveway. Sasuke noticed this and smirked.

“Excited?”

“Yeah. And nervous,” he admitted.

“Don’t worry about it. If anything, my family should be the ones worrying about embarrassing themselves.”

Naruto snorted as he bent down to sit inside of the car. He and Sasuke sat in the backseats while Itachi sat in the passenger seat, next to Izumo. The car smelled nice, like peppermints.

“Like the scent, Sas? It’s holiday themed.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes, adjusting himself on the leather seat. “Candy Cane Twist. It’s better than Bourbon,” he decided.

Naruto sniffed the scent in for a bit. He wondered what Bourbon smelled like.

“Like I said, this is Izumo, and he loves car air fresheners. He has an entire collection.”

“Wow,” Naruto pulled on the seatbelt, letting it expand. He let it click on the buckle before letting go.

“I suggest you invest in them. A good smelling car always beats a boring one,” said Izumo. Izumo kind of reminded Naruto of Kotetsu, now that he thought about it.

The car began to move, and Naruto wore a face of determination. He and Sasuke spoke for most of the ride, though it was mostly Sasuke warning Naruto about the rest of his family.

Itachi remained seated at the front, looking out the window silently. Inviting Naruto was only out of appreciation for helping Itachi pull Sasuke out of an impending coma. This was going to be the last thing he did for the blond, especially since he was planning to get rid of him at some point.

He watched Naruto cling to Sasuke like a stubborn piece of gum, unable to simply pull out. The teen wasn’t aiming to physically harm Sasuke, which he saw as a double edged sword. He was going to emotionally pull Sasuke away, and Itachi couldn’t have that. Emotional attachment was much harder to deal with.

Itachi took a look at the two of them in the rear view mirror. Just as he’d expected, Naruto was already poisoning Sasuke with his… desire.

* * *

The Uchiha Compound was beyond huge. Snow painted all across the meadows, and there were Christmas decorations everywhere. Naruto’s inner self cheered, excited to jump in. Sasuke’s pale skin blended in with the rest of the environment, his lips slightly curved upwards. He was smiling, Naruto realized, as he looked at him.

They met up with Sasuke’s parents and began to walk in the direction of the large, beautiful chalet in the center. Naruto gaped in pleasant shock at the sight that was next to the house.

There were twelve expensive sports cars parked outside of the house, and each of them were colored a different shade of red, bright and glossy. Sasuke’s family sure was… flashy. Some of them had flames painted on the sides, and others were plain with a different type of coating. Some of the wheels were different colors than the others.

An exasperated sigh came from Fugaku, and Mikoto laughed.

“I see Madara’s already here.”

“I think we all see, mom,” Sasuke said, running a hand through his hair.

All of a sudden, one of the cars honked loudly, causing everyone to jump in surprise. It came from a particular sports car that was parked in the far left end. The door with flames painted on it opened, and a man with fair skin and long, spiky black hair and stepped out. He had a shiny, businessman-like smirk on his face as he approached them with a plate of… something covered in aluminum foil in his hand.

“Fugaku!”

“Madara.”

Madara opened his arms and Fugaku scowled. “Come on, brother. We haven’t seen each other in a while, loosen up.”

Naruto did his best to keep himself from laughing. Fugaku just looked so _done_ right now, and it was hilarious. Even Mikoto was struggling to keep her face still.

“That’s uncle Madara,” Sasuke whispered. “He’s banned from multiple countries in Europe, nine restaurants in South Korea and twenty-four car dealerships in the U.S. I suggest you stay away from him.”

Naruto made a face of bewilderment while the adults spoke and greeted each other. He didn’t know what he was expecting, but information like that was enough to startle him. Maybe he really didn’t have anything to worry about, after all.

“You must be Naruto,” Madara said, his deep, yet airy voice snapping him out of his stunned stupor.

“O- oh, yeah, haha,” Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “Hi,” he replied, feeling intimidated.

Who wouldn’t be intimidated by someone with twelve cars?

“Hello. I’ve heard only wonderful things about you, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“You have?” The Uchihas really knew how to make someone feel pride in themself. Naruto felt like a king right now.

“Yes,” he responded, before looking at Sasuke. “And look at you, making new friends. It’s good to know you’re following in your big brother’s footsteps. Though I’ll say, your taste in friends is significantly better quality. I can tell your friend isn’t related to the _Senjus.”_

Senju? Wasn’t that Tsunade’s last name? Naruto decided to say nothing, since Madara clearly didn’t like them. 

“He’s had problems with the head of the Senju family for years,” Sasuke whispered. “But there’s definitely some tension there, if you know what I mean.”

Naruto reddened, holding in his laughter. Did Sasuke just make a joke? He was liking the guy more each second.

Soon enough, the door to the chalet opened, and a man that looked almost identical to Sasuke stepped out, waving for everyone to come.

Naruto took a deep breath. Here we go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't remember where I got the headcanons about Madara from, but I loved it so much that I decided to use it here haha. I kind of lied in the last chapter, this one was just an introduction to one of my favorite chapters. Stay tuned! <3 (Also, in case the beginning didn't make sense, Itachi snuck into the hospital and dressed up as a doctor, unsuspected by everyone else because of his ability to manipulate people easily. The grandma was a dementia patient, so he knew that if she saw him stealing the lab coat she'd end up forgetting anyway. Haru was just some random guy that was related to the grandma, and Itachi posed as him so that she wouldn't freak out about there being a stranger in her room. And, well, the rest is obvious.) And the Izumo liking air fresheners thing... I dunno, it just sounded like an Izumo thing lmao, so I added that in for amusement.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Well, um. Actually, I wouldn’t call it.. gay. It’s more like… one person in particular. And that’s it, nobody else.”

“Madara, this fruitcake is _awful!_ After all the times you’ve brought fruitcake to our reunions we’d think you’d get better at making it.”

“I didn’t make it, Kagami. You should know by now that I always make my neighbor make it.”

“Then no wonder it tastes so bad,” Shisui laughed. “Your neighbor must hate you.”

Everybody at the table began to laugh, aside from the ones that Naruto was convinced were not related to the rest of the family.

Forks and knives clinked and scraped on dinnerware. The food was amazing, just like last time, aside from Madara’s fruitcake. The Uchihas made Naruto feel like he was at home, and so far he was loving it there. He reached over to grab a small bowl of delicious looking sweets. It looked great, and he was sure it was Mikoto who’d brought it.

“That’s anmitsu,” Sasuke informed him. “Try the mochi,” he pointed to the chewy dumpling on the side.

Naruto followed his instructions and popped the mochi into his mouth, a smile growing as he chewed. “Wow.”

“I know. My mom’s really good at making sweets.”

Naruto grinned and took another bite, along with the ice cream. “Your family is awesome, teme. Who knew they could be related to assholes like you?” Naruto teased.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, a small smile gracing his features. “Idiot. You’re the one who decided to stick around.”

“I guess you’re right,” Naruto adjusted the chopsticks in his hand. “It was only because of your mom’s food.”

“Mhm. I’d stick around for my mom’s food if I were you, too.”

The mom in question was busy telling stories to Sasuke’s distant relative Izumi and his uncle Izuna. Naruto couldn’t believe Izuna was Madara’s brother when he found out. He was just so kind and level-headed that it made zero sense. 

“Okay, so you already know about Madara, so I’ll tell you a bit about the rest of the family.”

Naruto nodded his head, eager to find out.

“Shisui, the guy sitting across from you, only acts cool, so don’t be intimidated by him. He’s only friends with people that are related to him, like me and Itachi.”

He turned Naruto in Izumi’s direction. She was a pretty girl with long brown hair. She only seemed to be interested in talking to Mikoto and Itachi.

“That’s Izumi. I don’t know much about her, but she’s nice and has a huge crush on Itachi. She attends mom’s book club meetings.”

“Your mom has a book club?”

“Yeah. She almost made me join it, but I told her that if I didn’t, I’d talk to Itachi more.”

Naruto snickered. The more he heard about Sasuke’s family, the less intimidating they sounded. He was glad for that, since he’d always thought of them as picture perfect.

“The guy next to her is Izuna, not to be confused with Izumo and Izumi. My family really likes those three first letters for some reason. He’s probably the most normal person here. Literally no one hates him since he’s the only functional adult. He’s like the uncle that everyone likes, and he’s probably happily married.”

“I don’t really know the rest of the family aside from my immediate one and the ones I introduced to you, but they’re all pretty normal and give nice gifts.”

The gifts and boxes were all stationed under the large evergreen tree a couple of yards away. It was fairly decorated, though not much since Sasuke was the youngest person in the family at 16. He guessed they weren’t into decorating much.

“So,” Shisui said in between bites, “Naruto, huh?”

“That’s me,” Naruto said, smiling awkwardly.

“How do you like it here so far? Hopefully we haven’t scared you,” he joked.

“Heh, not at all. I really love it here, thanks a lot for inviting me.”

Sasuke smirked and nudged Naruto with his legs. Naruto sent him a foxy grin back, glad that Sasuke had given him that invitation. Shisui took notice of their small interaction, and smiled.

“Anytime. So, how’d you two meet? You must be pretty talented if you were able to pull Sasuke away from his emo-ness.”

“ _Shisui,”_ Sasuke complained.

Naruto laughed, ignoring Sasuke’s groan with a cheeky expression. “Right?! Sasuke was such a prick in the beginning, and wouldn’t let me sit in my seat. So Kakashi Sensei made us sit next to each other,” he began.

“Then gym class,” Sasuke added.

“Yeah! Then I accidentally smacked him in the locker room, and he ended up tripping me with a sock.”

“I didn’t know you were such a troublemaker, Sasuke,” Madara smiled smugly. “You were just like me when I was younger, challenging Hashirama all the time.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes and Naruto continued. “Then I had to go to a dinner with my family, and it turned out to be with Sasuke’s family. And after that, we just somehow became friends.”

“Really? It was that early for you? I thought we became friends after your birthday party,” Sasuke admitted.

“Nah, I knew you were friend material as soon as you offered to tutor me,” Naruto confessed, wondering what would have happened if he said _boyfriend._

“Sasuke _what?_ Who are you and what have you done with Sasuke?” 

“Wow, I’m so proud of you, Sasuke. You’ve finally made a friend, and he’s such a sweetheart,” an elderly woman said. Naruto vaguely remembered her name, something like aunt Uru… something.

Sasuke blushed as he chewed on some rice. Naruto continued to beam as he snorted at how flushed Sasuke’s face was. He looked cute when he was embarrassed, Naruto noticed.

“Thanks, aunt Uruchi,” he muttered.

“And what about you, Itachi? Still sticking with those friends of yours? Especially.. What was his name? Little Obito’s friend,” Teyaki asked.

Naruto wondered what the name meant to everyone in the room, as the volume lowered to the point of only the clinks and sounds of food being cut being heard. The silence was awkward, and he noticed that Sasuke had tensed beside him.

“Kakashi,” Itachi stated mechanically. “Yes, I am still acquainted with them.”

“Itachi’s friends with Kakashi?” Naruto whisper-asked Sasuke.

“Yeah,” Sasuke whispered. “Kakashi’s a close family friend. I used to visit his place every weekend.”

Naruto’s eyes widened in remembrance. Kakashi had told him that before, when Sasuke was absent from school. 

“Though I wouldn’t call them friends anymore. In fact, I’d suggest that an Uchiha named Obito simply does not exist anymore,” Madara declared, narrowing his eyes.

“This isn’t the time to be making announcements like that, Madara,” Fugaku said sternly.

Naruto shifted uncomfortably. “Who’s Obito?” Sasuke chewed on his bottom lip hesitantly, before sighing.

“My cousin. Well, not for long. They’re thinking about removing him from the Uchiha name,” he answered, whispering at the lowest volume he could muster.

Naruto blinked. “Why?”

Sasuke winced. “Remember that thing I told you about? The Konoha District Court incident?” Naruto nodded.

“He’s the one that killed and injured all of those people.”

Oh. _Oh._ Naruto’s lips parted slightly in shock. He took a look at Sasuke, whose lips were pressed together in a thin line. He glanced at the rest of the family, who seemed to be having a debate on whether or not Obito should remain an Uchiha.

“Dear God, let’s move onto a separate subject already,” Izuna scolded with disapproval. “Are you all forgetting that there are children here?”

The room quieted again, and Naruto and Sasuke were both uncomfortable now as everyone looked at them. Sasuke’s finger gave Naruto’s hand an apologetic poke. Naruto almost smiled at that as he poked Sasuke back.

“Oh my, we’re so sorry, you two. Adults can get a little childish as well,” Uruchi admitted.

“Ah, it’s no problem,” Naruto reassured. 

Sasuke nodded without saying anything, keeping his eyes on his food.

The adults wasted no time to return back to the subject they were at before, and Naruto was thankful for that. Some of Shisui’s jokes cracked him up, even if they were just terrible dad puns. He was interested to hear about Itachi’s high school life, which was the current subject of conversation.

Sasuke explained more about his family and the food on the table, telling him what not to eat and what to eat. Naruto kept note that Madara’s fruitcake was always to be avoided. It didn’t even look like fruitcake, it looked like a brown… blob with colorful bits mottling it. 

Shisui was talking now. “Sarutobi Sensei _loved_ me when I had him for history. And I think he became principal when Itachi started as a freshman, right Itachi?”

Itachi nodded as he cut his sautéed string beans into manageable pieces. 

“Principal Hiruzen taught you?” Naruto asked in astonishment. 

“Yep. Ask him about me and he’ll tell you awesome stories of when I was your age. Those were the times,” Shisui said, smiling. “Also, since when did people start calling their teachers by their first names? I’ve never heard of that being allowed till now.”

Naruto chuckled mischievously and scratched the back of his neck. “I was a bit of a problem child, so I ended up in his office a considerable amount of times,” he confessed, thinking about the time he graffiti painted the old man’s desk.

Shisui laughed. “I totally get it. That reminds me of when Itachi got into a school fight.”

“He _did?!”_ Naruto asked in bewilderment.

“It wasn’t a fight, Shisui,” Sasuke glared defensively. “It was just a kid failing to hit Itachi even for a single time.”

“True. Man, what isn’t Itachi good at? You’ve probably put him in almost everything, uncle Fugaku.”

Fugaku did not deem the statement worthy of a response and continued to drink from his glass. Itachi simply shook his head.

“There are many things that I’m not good at.”

“Yeah? Like what?”

Itachi paused in thought while Sasuke snorted. 

“I’m not very good at playing chess.”

“Piss off, you’ve beaten me many times, and I consider myself good at chess,” Shisui said, crossing his arms.

“Ah. Well, I’m not good at drawing.”

“You probably would be if you tried,” Shisui retorted. 

“But you’re very good at karate, no?” Uruchi asked.

“He’s proficient in most sports,” Fugaku said. “He holds the most records for sports and academics in Konoha High School.”

Naruto nodded, remembering the large display case in one of the hallways. Itachi was the most prominent name on the trophies and awards. The rest of the table made sounds of pride and approval for Itachi while he remained silent.

“And what about Sasuke?” The old woman asked, smiling at the youngest Uchiha.

Sasuke stiffened slightly, twirling his pasta around slowly. Naruto noticed his quietness and watched in worry as Sasuke opened his mouth.

He was cut off by Fugaku, who answered with a stony expression. “Nothing yet.”

Ouch. Naruto winced and kept his gaze on Sasuke, who only sighed and continued to play with his food. From the corner of his eye, Naruto noticed that Itachi was watching too, with something unfamiliar burning in his dark eyes. Naruto assumed it was extremely-concealed anger. The fire quickly went out a millisecond after, leaving no time for Naruto to process the expression.

“I see. Well, I’m sure Sasuke will become a successful man in the future regardless of his efforts.”

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and Naruto gritted his teeth. Were they calling him lazy? Naruto sent a worried glance to Sasuke, who only brushed it off. He wanted to say something, anything to put the woman in her place, but a smooth voice came instead.

“He will definitely become a successful man. He puts in a lot of effort,” Itachi stated collectedly. Naruto sighed in relief. If Naruto had said anything, he would have blown up and caused a ruckus for nothing. Luckily Itachi was levelheaded enough to defend his brother.

“Of course. But unfortunately someone with his… infirmity must aim higher.”

That was enough. Even more than he hated that she’d called Sasuke weak, he hated that she’d called him weak in such a pretty, sugarcoated manner. Before Sasuke could stop him, Naruto cleared his throat, his eyebrows forming a line in between.

“Stop speaking as if Sasuke isn’t here. Sasuke already does aim for the top, and he’s the most hardworking person I know.”

Sasuke’s face was red, shielded by the hair framing it. Naruto remembered something that Sasuke had told him two months ago, and decided to stand by it.

_“Where did your balls go? You’d usually be the first person to speak up to an adult.”_

It didn’t stop him from suddenly feeling small in front of the rest of Sasuke’s family. He felt like he’d disrespected them a great deal, but he decided that that was irrelevant. They were disrespecting Sasuke, and he couldn’t have that.

Before anybody could say anything, Itachi spoke first. “Naruto is correct. I believe that if anybody here is the most talented, it is my otouto,” he announced.

Shisui and Mikoto nodded, smiling. Sasuke’s ears were still red, and Naruto couldn’t help but reach out to him, rubbing his back as the old woman apologized. Naruto was thankful that Itachi was backing him up. Now all he could feel for Sasuke’s family was resentment. He didn’t know this was how they treated him.

“I believe so too,” Shisui dared to say, earning small, bashful smiles from the two boys. “I like you, Naruto. You’re a good friend, I’d even assume that you two were _boyfriends-“_

Naruto barely had time to register the words before the sound of a glass thudding on a table reached his ears. He turned in the direction of the sound to find Fugaku with his eyebrows knitting into each other, his expression clearly displaying contempt.

“Enough of that, Shisui.”

Shisui glared at Fugaku, earning a harsh look back. Naruto wondered what was wrong. All Shisui had said was—

Oh.

Naruto instantly felt his cheeks burn with self-consciousness. Sasuke was stiff beside him. Out of everything, this was the last thing he’d expected from today.

“It was a joke.”

“Jokes like that aren’t supposed to be made, especially under our God on a day like this.”

Naruto chewed on his bottom lip, feeling uneasy. Sasuke’s jaw was clenched as the others continued to speak. Naruto fought the urge to just call his parents and ask to go home. He sighed. So his chance of being with Sasuke, which was already low, had just depleted.

“I don’t get it. I think that love is love, regardless of gender,” Shisui retorted.

“It is unnatural. No one has the right to redefine marriage. In the-“

The next person to make noise surprised Naruto. Sasuke was standing, gripping the edge of the table with white knuckles. The chair was long forgotten, pushed back as he stood. Naruto’s eyes were wide. Sasuke didn’t need to do this for him. He knew the raven was going to get a lot of shit for it later on.

“Let’s go, Naruto. This was clearly a mistake,” Sasuke seethed.

Naruto’s lips parted as he gawked at the older male. He was speechless, nodding and standing up as well. 

“Uchiha Sasuke-“ Fugaku began, looking furious.

Sasuke ignored the implicit order and took Naruto’s hand, storming out along with the blond. Naruto sent the family one last shy smile before turning around to watch Sasuke take heavy steps, texting someone with his free hand.

Naruto grabbed his coat at the same time Sasuke did. Naruto’s eyes remained on the back of Sasuke’s head. Sure, what he did was brave, but was it worth it? Naruto knew how bad homophobia could get, but he really didn’t have to do it for Naruto.

They were outside of the chalet when Sasuke decided to stop, keeping his eyes glued to the screen. Naruto frowned.

“You really didn’t have to do that, Sasuke.”

“Yes, I did. They annoyed me.”

“I know, but.. Won’t this start problems?”

“I don’t care,” Sasuke stated flatly, reaching into his pocket but retracting his hand a second later, as if he realized that something he’d been craving wasn’t there. 

Naruto sighed, inhaling the sharp air of winter. The cars had a sheer layer of frost coating them on the outside, the kind that could melt under the touch of a fingertip. The sky was slightly foggy too. He wondered how the city looked. He figured the amount of snow was much lower, and the air probably felt more dull.

“I…” Sasuke started, looking tense and unsure. As if what he was going to say was going to change many things. “I think I also did it for myself.”

Naruto tilted his head, feeling his heart rise in his chest with anxiousness. He had a feeling he knew where this was leading to, but it still felt unexpected.

“Naruto…”

Sasuke’s voice was a quiet whisper now, no more fragile than a snowflake. “I think I might be… gay.”

Maybe this day was worth it after all. Naruto stood there, kind of dumbstruck even though it was obvious. Countless responses ran through his head, each varying in intensity and drama. He felt like crying and laughing at the same time, like an unexpected joy. 

All he did was smile now, a beam that could reflect light off of snow. Sasuke’s face was cold and pale, contrasting with the red on his cheeks and ears.

“That’s… great,” was all Naruto could manage.

Sasuke looked down, hesitant to say something else. Naruto’s heart thumped violently in his rib cage. What if he… no, it was too risky. He wondered how a single person could reduce him to such a nervous mess.

“Well, um. Actually, I wouldn’t call it.. gay. It’s more like… one person in particular. And that’s it, nobody else,” Sasuke clarified, sending a shiver through Naruto.

This was it. It was either take it or leave it. But Naruto had other plans in mind. Sasuke opened his mouth to reveal his secret, but Naruto raised a finger to his mouth.

“Before you say anything, I want to take you somewhere.”

Sasuke tilted his head, eyes big and unsure. Naruto turned around. Maybe he should call Kotetsu. Or one of his friends. 

His thoughts were interrupted when the front door opened, causing both bows to jump. _Shit. Shitshitshitshitshit._ Naruto braced himself for trouble, but was surprised to see Itachi standing there. He was fully dressed, coat and all, with a face rigid yet thoughtful. 

Sasuke clenched his fists and glared at Itachi. “You’re not going to change our minds.”

“I know,” Itachi said. “I was not planning to.”

Sasuke and Naruto watched him with confusion. He only took a couple of steps forward after closing the door behind him. He had a car key in his hand.

“I’m going to drive you both back to the city.”

Sasuke’s mouth was open in surprise. Usually Itachi allowed himself to be applauded while Sasuke received murmurs of disapproval. But that was clearly not the case now, as Itachi motioned for him to walk to one of Madara’s sports cars. 

“Really? You’d do that for us, Itachi?” Naruto asked.

“Yes. Would you mind excusing us for a moment, Sasuke?”

Sasuke frowned, but he decided not to protest. After all, Itachi was on his side and was going to drive them back. He nodded and walked to the car, eyeing its decorations. His boots sunk down in the snow, leaving indents of his path. He watched Naruto and his brother speak, unable to read their lips. 

Naruto dug his shoe down onto the pavement, wondering what Itachi had to say. The man in question kept his eyes on Naruto’s expression, scrutinizing it as he began to speak.

“From what Sasuke’s just done, I assume you’re homosexual. No?”

Naruto stiffened and nodded. “Yeah, uh, I’m bisexual. Men and women.”

“I see. Forgive me if I’m prodding, but are you and my brother in a relationship?”

Naruto stopped what he was doing as blush rose to fill his cheeks. “Ah. Err.. well, no.” _Not yet._

Itachi only narrowed his eyes, causing Naruto to become anxious. “Hn. Are you looking to pursue him?” Naruto became even pinker, causing Sasuke to wonder what they were talking about even more. “Uh…”

“I see.” 

Silence.

“Why do you go to such lengths for him?”

If Itachi could laugh, he’d do it now. But he knew that if he did, it would sound detached, fake, like barely restrained bloodlust. Itachi knew the answer to the question very well. He’d asked the same thing to Sasuke a long time ago.

_“Why do you go to such lengths for me, Sasuke?”_

_“‘Cause you’re my aniki, and I love my aniki.”_

Love. It didn’t matter what type of love it was, it was all the same. It sparked attachment, happiness, anger, remorse, excitement. Emotions that Itachi used to only dream about. The object of Itachi’s love was currently in the palm of Naruto’s hand, and he knew it was manifesting into something much more.

Naruto sighed, unaware of how much his relationship with Sasuke depended on his answer.

“Well.. I’m not sure how to say it with words. Honestly, not even the word love can describe it. Whenever I see him, I feel all… mushy inside. But it’s not a bad thing. It’s like all of the feelings I felt before that were dialed down, and were projected with a megaphone. It’s weird ‘cause I thought I used to hate him, but now that I think about it, I think I just hated how he always seemed to keep me on my feet, and how I always looked forward to being with him.”

Naruto continued to ramble, on and on, and Itachi stood there, listening carefully. Unlike Itachi, Naruto was just as feeling as Sasuke. He didn’t need someone to elicit the emotions he needed. But Itachi needed someone, and that someone was Sasuke. It was a battle to see who needed Sasuke more, and to Itachi, that was himself. 

Naruto finally finished, taking a deep breath. Itachi nodded and smiled as convincingly as he could. “I see.”

The teenager sighed in relief. “You could? I was scared I was going on a tangent.”

“You were, but I was able to keep up. I have another question.”

“Ask away,” Naruto said, smiling.

“Where are you planning on taking Sasuke?”

Naruto blushed and looked away, walking over to whisper in Itachi’s ear. Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows. Was it really a good idea to leave those two alone? He was bubbling with curiosity.

The man nodded and they both walked back to Sasuke, whose arms were crossed. 

“Let’s get going.”


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Why does everything have to happen at the wrong time?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, I remember when my chapters used to be around 2.5k words. Now they're, like, 4 or 5k. Thanks for reading!

Sasuke felt stupid. Unbelievably stupid. He’d been reckless for the entire day. He also felt disappointed. He’d always seen his family as some… picture-perfect happy group of relatives with some bumps in between. But in the end, he was wrong. So painfully wrong.

The trip to Konoha City was going to be a long one. He hoped that Naruto didn’t feel too hurt by his family’s remarks. If Sasuke had known that a subject like that was going to surface, he wouldn’t have handed Naruto the invitation. Sasuke’s eyes squeezed shut when he felt his teeth begin to chatter again. He’d been feeling ill for a couple of days now. 

He wasn’t an idiot. He knew his body was reacting to the loss of the addictive substances he’d been abusing for a large portion of his life. But only now did he begin to regret it, especially with Naruto sitting at his side. Itachi was at the front, driving silently. They had taken Madara’s car, which excited the two teens due to the petty nature of it all. 

Sasuke still felt skeptical about Itachi. For the past couple of weeks, Itachi had been nothing but kind to him. Usually the twenty year old would tease or mock him at least once in a while, but now that wasn’t the case. Maybe he finally felt guilty for what he’d done. Sasuke gritted his teeth and fought the next series of shuddering, focusing on Naruto, who was uncharacteristically quiet.

He knew Naruto was thinking deeply about something, and he didn’t blame him. His stomach twisted in shame at the thought of how Naruto must have felt when he heard Fugaku utter those words. Sasuke felt furious when he’d heard them, especially with Naruto sitting at his side. 

There was no doubt now, he knew it. Sasuke liked Naruto, more than a friend. All those moments they’d had together piled up on top of each other, and Sasuke had tried to run from them, but it was over now. He finally accepted it. He didn’t know how being around Naruto could make him happier than anything, but it was possible.

Sasuke looked down at the pale hands resting on his laps. He was gay. He didn’t think he’d ever see a woman and think of her the same way as he did with Naruto, and the same went for other men. He was only interested in Naruto, but he didn’t think there was a word for only liking Naruto, so he guessed gay worked as well. 

His ears became hot at the realization that he was almost about to confess his attraction to Naruto some twenty minutes ago. He’d be so close, but Itachi had interrupted them. Sasuke’s fingers curled into each other and down to his palms. What if Naruto didn’t believe him? Or even worse, what if he didn’t like him back? Sasuke didn’t know if he could stomach that.

The Uchiha’s entire life, much to his dismay, was mostly just things going wrong. He couldn’t meet the standards that had been met by Itachi. He wasn’t jealous of him, of course not. Well, maybe he was when he was younger, but he definitely wasn’t anymore, especially after Sasuke found a gun in his bag.

And Orochimaru… 

Sasuke couldn’t stop himself from shaking this time. He figured the withdrawals were causing him to become nervous much more easily now. Orochimaru was in the hospital, suffering, and a student was tried as an adult. He’d heard from somewhere that Kabuto Yakushi had pleaded insanity, since there was no way he was going to win the case otherwise.

Now he knew that he was truly just as evil as Itachi. He knew exactly what Itachi had done, and what his intentions were, and still kept quiet. Sure, his brother convinced him that Kabuto was not all innocent like Sasuke had assumed, but it was still immoral. Why hadn’t they let the police deal with it?

Oh, right. Orochimaru knew about the  _ other _ atrocity that Itachi had helped commit. Damn it. Sasuke couldn’t believe that the situation had gotten even worse, and Itachi was undoubtedly killing it when it came to getting away with crime. He left the police so stumped that they’d actually believed that they found the true criminal. 

Because who on earth would think of Itachi Uchiha as a killer? 

Itachi Uchiha. The only person you could call perfect and actually be right about. Itachi was perfect. His logic was perfect, his strategy was perfect… It was like everything about him was perfect.

And Sasuke wasn’t. He was the opposite. It was like they had just taken all of the good things about Sasuke and placed them in Itachi as well as  _ Itachi’s  _ good things. So he got double the good things while Sasuke got zero. He wondered why Naruto liked him. How he still stuck with Sasuke even after Sasuke’s multiple near death experiences. Didn’t it get tiring? 

“Sasuke? You okay?” Naruto asked, a small smile present on his features. “You’ve been shivering and glaring at the car seat for a while.”

“Huh?” Sasuke blinked and turned around to face Naruto, looking back at the seat before spinning his head back. “Oh. I was just thinking.”

“You and that big brain of yours,” Naruto said, shaking his head. “Seriously, I thought you were going to burn a hole into it or something.”

Sasuke scoffed and huffed through his nostrils. “Whatever. Where are we going, anyway? You two never gave me a clear answer.”

“You will recognize it when we get there,” Itachi said monotonously. Sasuke frowned. Usually Itachi tried to make himself sound more content than how he truly felt.

“Yeah,” Naruto added, grinning bright enough to light up fireworks in Sasuke’s heart. The thought of that turned Sasuke’s cheeks pink. When had he begun to think of Naruto that way?

“You’ll love it. I promise, teme.”

“Still calling me that, huh, dobe?”

“Bastard! I’ll call you whatever I want,” Naruto announced, crossing his arms and turning his head to the window. It was short lived, though, since he spun himself back and nudged Sasuke.

“Hey, hey, Sasuke. You never told me what your favorite thing to make with paper was.”

Sasuke blinked. He wondered what gave the blond so much energy. “Oh yeah. Uh.. I’ve never really thought of that.”

Naruto tilted his head and raised his finger to his bottom lip, his eyes flitting upwards in a way that was awfully cute to Sasuke. He could argue that it even looked adorable.  _ Damn it, Sasuke. Get your shit together. _ This was Naruto he was talking to, the most sought after boy at school. 

“Hm. You make a lot of blue birds. And I always see you with orange paper, even though you seem to hate orange.”

“I don’t hate orange,” Sasuke mumbled in a fraction of a second. “It’s just bright.”

“Right, right. ‘Cause you’re  _ so _ dark and emo,” Naruto dragged.

“Tch, keep talking like that and the next thing you see will be dark.”

“Is that a threat, Uchiha?”

“No fights in the car, please,” Itachi interrupted, smiling. Sasuke reddened in embarrassment. He’d completely forgotten that Itachi was there. Itachi’s smile unsettled him. Sasuke had been immune to Itachi’s acts for a while, but this one seemed new. Itachi looked kind of angry.

Was Itachi angry? 

Even Naruto noticed how tense Itachi seemed to be. His knuckles were chalk white and his facial expression was visible through the rear view window. His eyes were narrowed, like he was deep in thought. Debating on something, Sasuke recognized. Sasuke’s heart rate quickened in alarm, but soon dwindled as he reassured himself. Itachi wasn’t crazy enough to get them all in a car crash or drive them off the bridge and down the hill. That was insane.

“Hahah, sorry Itachi. Where were we again? Oh, right. Sasuke’s favorite thing to make.”

Sasuke shrugged and rubbed his left arm up and down. He couldn’t think of anything at the moment. Naruto’s arms were crossed as he furrowed his eyebrows. Then he raised up his finger, remembering something. 

“You made flowers out of the orange paper. I remember, you did it for my birthday gift.”

“Your birthday gift…” Sasuke paused, recalling that day. It seemed like so long ago, even through it had only been two months. Now that he thought about it, something in that gift had made him smile as he made it.

His entire face burned up and turned as rosy as the punch that Naruto had spilled on him. “Oh, that was probably my favorite.”

“The flowers?” Naruto guessed.

“No…” Sasuke trailed off. What was wrong with him? He never acted like this, not even with Naruto. Okay, maybe he did act like this with Naruto, but it only happened with Naruto. No one else. “I, uh… probably the paper version of.. um,” 

_ Get a grip, Sasuke! _

Naruto’s eyes were wide with a strange expression on his face. 

“The paper version of m-“

The car suddenly stopped, causing all three of them to jolt forwards, luckily held back by their seatbelts. Sasuke could literally feel his brain shake back and forth in his skull. Itachi turned around immediately to check on the other two.

“Itachi, what the fuck?!” Sasuke yelled.

“I’m sorry. The car in front of me stopped abruptly as well.”

The two teens’ lips parted and both of them opened their respective windows, pushing their heads out to watch the commotion. Itachi was right. There was a long line of cars that were too close to each other.

“What happened?” Naruto asked.

Sasuke shrugged and Itachi sighed. “There must have been an accident.”

“An accident? How? There were barely any cars around us,” Sasuke frowned.

Itachi merely shook his head. “Strange things happen. It looks like we’ll be here for a while. Stay inside,” were his last words before opening his door and walking out. 

Naruto and Sasuke both leaned back in their seats. Sasuke felt his feet begin to tingle and pressed them into the floor mat, ignoring the strange and unfavorable feeling that came next.

* * *

“You look pale, Sasuke.”

It had been around thirty minutes since Itachi had left, and he was now speaking with the police. Apparently someone down the line of cars had been shot after committing a robbery.

“I’m fine,” Sasuke said, wiping his cold and clammy palms on his pants.

“You always say that, and then the opposite happens,” Naruto mumbled.

Sasuke remained silent and looked away. He knew he was being stubborn, but he didn’t want to worry Naruto even more than he already had. He decided to just spit it out, since not telling Naruto would just make the blond more nervous.

“I think I’m having withdrawals,” he said after a couple of moments.

Naruto sat up immediately. “Really? Are you okay? What can I do to help?”

Sasuke snorted and shook his head. “Nothing. I’m fine, I just need to wait it out.”

Naruto frowned. “What about medicine? Do you have any medicines that could help?”

“Yes. I’ve been taking them since I stopped smoking. That and the one I switched to, so I haven’t really experienced too much when it comes to withdrawal symptoms.”

“Well, take them then!”

“I already  _ have.  _ I think my-y body has become used to them already.” Sasuke bit his lip. This wasn’t good. He knew how bad withdrawals could feel.

“Ah… so what do you need to do?” Naruto looked so worried that Sasuke wanted to laugh in his face and tell him it was  _ fine. _

“I told you. I’m going to wait it out.”

Naruto watched as Sasuke took a deep breath and shifted his position, grunting a bit as he adjusted his coat in an attempt to get warm. His forehead had a thin sheen of sweat below the bangs that stuck onto it. He tried not to blame all of this on Sasuke’s stupidity. After all, everyone needed an escape from reality, and Sasuke’s happened to include addictive chemicals like nicotine.

Sasuke’s teeth were chattering again, despite the amount of layers he had on. A wave of nausea was next to make him suffer, and he knew this wasn't going to end as soon as he wanted it to. The last thing he wanted was to vomit all over Naruto.

However, the blond didn’t seem disgusted at all. Instead, he reached out to Sasuke and removed his seatbelt.

“Maybe try laying down. Use my lap as a pillow. Wait, no-“ Naruto pulled off his own coat and folded it into a rectangle, placing it on his laps. “Use this.”

“I’m-“

“I  _ said, _ use this.”

Sasuke grimaced and nodded, bracing for the impending attack of nausea that was going to come as he moved. Luckily, Naruto helped him go slower than he was initially going to. It was a bit embarrassing to be resting his head on Naruto’s lap, but it got easier after a couple of seconds. He raised his legs, bending them above his chest and trying to think about anything that wasn’t the terrible cramps that clawed through him.

Again, none of this would have happened if it wasn’t for Itachi. Sasuke didn’t hate him anymore, but he hated what he did. He knew very well that his awful deeds were masked under his apparent need to protect his helpless little brother. But there had to be another reason.

Would he ever have to warn Naruto? Guilt settled like a weight on his shoulders while he trembled under Naruto’s touch. Hopefully his problems with Itachi wouldn’t bleed into his relationship with Naruto. It almost happened during the school lockdown. 

Sasuke’s form was tense. Naruto’s lips pressed together as he tried to keep Sasuke warm. He reached for the heater and turned it on, hoping it worked well enough. It was a valuable sports car, he was sure at least the heater worked.

After some time, he felt less movement from Sasuke’s body and assumed the raven was going to sleep. Naruto sighed and flipped the boy over, trying his best not to awaken him. Sasuke’s eyes were closed, but his lashes were fluttering uncontrollably. He ran fingers through Sasuke’s hair. 

“Teme. Why do you have to be so…” He trailed off. So what? Stupid? Or did he mean something else?

His plan was obviously not going to happen the way he wanted it to. He’d been aiming to take Sasuke to the bridge he’d taken Naruto to all that time ago. He wanted to confess his love for him under that same bridge, ya know, in a poetic way.

Sasuke liked literature, so he wanted to embody that. Maybe it could have given him a higher chance of actually succeeding. 

When he’d told Itachi about it, he wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but what he got unsettled him. He knew he was just being paranoid, but seeing Itachi’s face made him a bit nervous. Maybe he wasn’t supposed to tell Itachi. Sasuke  _ had _ said that it was him and Itachi’s secret. Maybe Itachi didn’t like that Naruto knew about it now.

But the older brother still smiled regardless, even if Naruto’s words hurt or angered him. Sasuke always seemed to be on edge around Itachi, and when he wasn’t, he acted annoyed. Like any younger brother would, right? 

Naruto wasn’t an idiot. He’d seen how Shikamaru was acting around Itachi. During the lockdown, as he was walking out, he noticed how fearful Shikamaru looked when he faced Itachi’s direction.

Ever since Naruto admitted his attraction to Sasuke to his friends, Shikamaru had acted strangely. No, it was a little after that, now that he thought of it. Maybe he was still unused to Sasuke being around after middle school. Naruto frowned. But that had been cleared up already.

Sasuke made a noise and shifted under Naruto, leading to the blond’s gaze moving down at him. He looked vulnerable, more so than usual of course. Sweat was trickling down the side of his face. Naruto brushed dark hair away from Sasuke’s face and leaned down to plant a small kiss on his glistening forehead.

“Get well soon, Sasuke,” he mumbled.

The driver’s door opened a millisecond after that, and Naruto instantly lifted his head up to see who was there. 

It was Itachi, whose eyes were stormy in contrast to his relaxed face. He closed the door and sat in the front seat. Naruto didn’t utter a word as he watched Itachi pull on his seatbelt in silence.

He didn’t know what prompted him to hold onto Sasuke a bit tighter when Itachi turned around.

“Is he alright?” Itachi inquired.

“He’s having withdrawals,” Naruto answered, the word unfamiliar on his tongue.

Itachi nodded and turned back around, lowering his foot as the car began to accelerate again. “I see. It looks like your plan won’t be happening as you expected.”

“Yeah. It’s okay, I guess I don’t need to rush.”

Itachi’s hands gripped the steering wheel tightly and Naruto watched in concern. Was Itachi mad at him? He couldn’t see Itachi’s face in the rear view mirror anymore, but he could tell it was anything but pleasant.

“Do you  _ really _ think your feelings will be reciprocated?” Itachi’s voice was level, but Naruto could tell how constrained it really was.

Itachi didn’t think Sasuke was going to like Naruto back. Naruto suddenly felt angry. It wasn’t Itachi’s right to decide how Sasuke felt about Naruto. He gritted his teeth and inhaled. If Itachi was going to restrain himself, so was Naruto.

“Hopefully. I know I’m taking a gamble with this, but it’s better to try.”

“What if he rejects you? Don't you think it would change things?”

Naruto’s fists clenched around Sasuke’s unconscious figure. He didn’t like where Itachi was going with this. “It really depends on him. It would be unfair if I didn’t tell him, so I will. It’s his choice if he wants it to change things or not.”

Itachi was silent as he kept his eyes on the road. Naruto tried to compose himself.

“Don’t you think it would be a bit unfair for him? To be put on the spot like that.”

Put on the spot? What did he mean? Naruto’s leg began to bounce up and down as he bit his lip. He could tell what Itachi was trying to do. 

“I don’t understand.”

“Think about it for a moment. Sasuke doesn’t do well under pressure. He could agree to something he doesn’t want if he’s put on the spot.”

“Yeah? Are you speaking from experience?” Naruto blurted out. Damn his lack of filter and impulsive tongue.

He gulped when Itachi remained dangerously quiet. He felt kind of threatened now. He knew nothing was going to happen, but he still couldn’t help but feel uneasy. 

“I’ve never done such a thing,” Itachi said calmly. “And if I have, it was done for his protection.”

Naruto knew exactly what that excuse meant, and he didn’t comment on it. He decided to remain quiet instead, letting the words soak in. Itachi obviously was not in favor of his relationship with Sasuke.

The rest of the ride was quiet, aside from Sasuke’s pained gasps that sometimes came during his slumber. Naruto hoped he’d be okay, especially when his parents got back. His face was contorted in agony and he wished he could do something to help that wasn’t rubbing soothing circles into Sasuke’s skin. 

Itachi dropped him off at his house first, smiling fakely and apologizing to Tsunade for bringing Naruto back without warning. Naruto returned the empty smile and waved goodbye, running up to his bedroom instantly after and leaving a confused Tsunade by the doorstep.

Naruto jumped on his bed after kicking his shoes off and breathed out. It felt like Itachi had antagonized him for liking Sasuke. He decided to do what he’d been thinking about doing for a long time and pulled out his phone. 

He clicked on the contact name _ Shikamaru _ and pressed the call button.

* * *

"Y'know, Sasuke, you really aren't as bad as I thought."

"Hn."

Naruto's eyes rolled upwards. "Except for when you give me responses like that."

"It's because everything you say doesn't call for a response," Sasuke informed him.

"Pfft. So, where exactly is this place you're taking me?"

Sasuke looked up at the sky. It was safe to say that he and Naruto were now friends. 

"It's a family secret. Well, more like me and Itachi's secret when we were younger," he corrected.

"I don't know if I like the sound of that or not." Naruto grinned.

Sasuke smiled and took Naruto’s hand in his own. “Come with me.”

Naruto obliged, running after Sasuke as their hands interlocked. They ran across a couple fields, past an incoming train, through a party, a library, an arcade, and Sasuke suddenly found himself all alone.

He was in his bedroom, attached to countless tubes that connected his body to bags full of strange liquids and black gunk. 

“What the hell,” he whispered. He knew ripping them out was bad, but holy shit, those didn’t look like they were good for his body. He pulled them out with shaky hands and stood up, backing away.

He turned around and opened his bedroom door, walking out. He was wearing a light blue hospital gown, and it was thin against his bare skin. The halls were covered in ice, and he began to shake.

Why were the halls covered in ice? This wasn’t his house. It was a hospital. He heard shoes clacking on the floor and followed the sound with his eyes. Doctors were running and flooding inside of a room at the end of the hall. He decided to follow them out of pure curiosity. Maybe he could ask them about what was going on.

His pale feet were numb on the ice, tinged lightly with blue and purple. He shut his eyes at the sight and looked up to see the label on the clipboard next to the hospital room. 

“Out of the way, kid!” 

Sasuke stumbled to the right when a doctor pushed him aside and ran inside. He felt himself slip on the ice and fall, against something hard and cold. He instantly jumped off and spun around to look at what he’d fallen on.

It was a person, but he couldn’t see their face. With shaky hands, he moved the long black hair aside, finding a face that was chalk white, with frost turning it blue. The stench was what hit him first, causing his eyes to water like someone was cutting onions and holding them an inch away from him. It smelled terrible, like rotting flesh and metal. Yellow eyes that resembled a reptilian were wide as they picked him apart. Sasuke froze, unable to move at the sheer horror and disgust at the sight. 

It was Orochimaru, and his form was lifeless. Sasuke stepped back once, then twice before he felt something solid and slimy squeeze around his forearm. He felt like vomiting at the feeling. He almost retched at the smell, and tried to recoil as Orochimaru’s hand pulled him closer.

“I’m dead,” Orochimaru hissed. “And so is he.”

Before Sasuke could open his mouth, sharp, rotten fingernails reached out and grabbed his jaw painfully. They turned his head around against his will, and Sasuke almost gagged at the smell.

The last thing he heard was the sound of flatlining. The last thing he saw was the label outside the room, with the name  _ Shikamaru Nara _ written on it with blood.

Sasuke screamed. He couldn’t believe his brain had the ability to create scenes like that. He was in his hallway, the one outside his bedroom.

His heart was beating wildly and his hands shakily moved up to rest above his chest. His throat was sore, he was probably screaming as he sleepwalked. 

Sasuke stumbled back and forth, wiping wetness from his eyes. He decided to walk downstairs. No one was around, for some reason. Not even the housemaids or bodyguards. His parents weren’t home, so the only person he had in mind was Itachi.

He walked to the kitchen and decided to drink some water. He noticed a note on the fridge but he paid it no attention, taking a pitcher of water and placing it on the smooth counter. Sasuke grabbed a cup and poured some cold water into it, slightly spilling some water on the table. He didn’t care, however, and downed the drink in an instant.

Sniffing and wiping his nose, Sasuke placed the pitcher back inside the fridge and decided to look at the note. A line formed between his eyebrows at the words.

_ Don't go downstairs. _

Don’t go downstairs? Why?

He didn’t know why, but now he felt like he absolutely needed to go downstairs. His legs ignored his brain and moved by themselves, as if they had minds of their own.

The stairs creaked under his weight as he moved down, step by step. His feet were still bare against the wood, in pain as the chipped parts stuck to his skin. Since when were the stairs this damaged? It was dark, and it looked like there were no lights to brighten the path.

He yelped in pain when a nail punctured the ball of his foot. The wetness that came after were a sign that he was bleeding, and he gritted his teeth in discomfort as he pulled it out. He continued to walk down, avoiding the painful area.

The door downstairs was closed, but it was unlocked. He could see a strip of light from below, which meant the lights were turned on inside. His trembling hand wrapped around the knob and twisted it, pushing the door open.

The first thing he saw as he walked inside was a table with medical tools inside. Next to it was Itachi, whose back was turned to him. He seemed to be busy with something, unaware that Sasuke had walked in.

“Itachi?” Sasuke asked, but received no response. 

He walked forward, stumbling a bit and catching himself on the table. Itachi had to have heard him.

“Itachi?” He repeated. The lights flickered above him, and Itachi turned around. He didn’t face Sasuke. Instead, he faced something at Sasuke’s right.

“Itachi. This isn’t funny. I know you can hear me.”

Sasuke stormed over to Itachi and reached to grab him, but his arm went through him. Sasuke froze in fear. Was he dreaming again? He retracted his hand as if he’d just touched fire, and tried again. The same thing happened and Itachi ignored him, walking forwards.

Sasuke took a deep breath and did the same as he’d done before, following Itachi with his eyes. What he saw next paralyzed him. He was walking to a cell, and a familiar blond was trapped inside of it. Dread churned in Sasuke’s stomach as he watched Itachi approach a long, heavy chain. He followed the length of the chain until his gaze found a large iron ball stationed above Naruto. 

If Itachi pulled on the chain, the heavy ball of iron was going to crush Naruto. Sasuke took a step forward.

“Itachi, no!” He pleaded, but the words fell on deaf ears. 

He took another step, and Itachi began to pull. “No!” He screamed. Naruto looked terrified, like that day under the bridge. He clearly didn’t want to die.

“Itachi, why?!” Itachi continued to ignore him and pulled even harder. The iron ball continued to roll and Naruto stood, attempting to run to the corner. Instead, his ankle was grabbed by a slimy white hand that came up from the ground. Then another one, and another one. He recognized them as the hands of the victims of the massacre. The hands kept on coming, making their way towards Sasuke. 

“Everything I’ve done,” Itachi said, echoing in Sasuke’s head as the ball came down.

“It was done for you.”

Sasuke jerked up from his bed with a loud gasp, choking for more air as tears streamed from his eyes. He didn’t know how else to react. Itachi was beside him, watching him with concern.

The younger of the two immediately flinched upon the sight of his older brother. The dreams felt too real to him.

“Am I…” he began, his voice cracked and raspy. “Am I dreaming?”

That was a dumb question, but he still needed some sort of answer. At least to know that people could hear him again.

“No. You seemed to be having trouble sleeping, so I woke you up,” Itachi said, raking fingers through Sasuke’s hair. “Did you have a nightmare?”

Sasuke shuddered at the touch and struggled to sit up. He didn’t want to think about it anymore. 

“Yes. I.. Is Naruto okay?”

Itachi was silent, a dark expression appearing on his face for a moment before he nodded. It worried Sasuke. Why didn’t Itachi like Naruto? Was he crazy enough to do what he did in Sasuke’s dream?

“He’s fine. I dropped him off at his house.”

Sasuke nodded and breathed deeply. “What time is it?”

“Almost six. They’re probably on their way now,” Itachi informed him.

Sasuke bit his lip. He didn’t want any problems to start after what he’d done during the meal, but it was bound to happen. Itachi seemed to notice his troubled mood. He merely shook his head and patted Sasuke’s shoulder awkwardly.

“Don’t worry about father. I’ll take care of it.”

“Really?” Sasuke asked, in partial disbelief. It was hard to believe that Itachi would do something that would risk his standing in the family.

“Yes,” Itachi nodded, standing up. “I won’t allow him to disrespect you anymore than he already has.”

Sasuke tilted his head, wondering what that meant. He felt appreciation for his brother as well. Maybe Itachi was trying to be a better person now.

“Thank you. Also…”

Itachi turned around before leaving, raising an eyebrow inquisitively.

“Can you turn the TV on?”

“Alright.” Itachi walked over to the desk and picked up the remote, pressing on the power button. The television illuminated the rest of the semi-dark room, and Itachi placed it back down. 

“Rest well,” were the last words that Sasuke heard before Itachi left the room.

Sasuke smiled slightly and focused his attention on the television, unblurring his vision. Nothing seemed to be entertaining enough, until the words  _ Breaking News _ appeared on the screen.

_ “We at KBS apologize for interrupting your program, but we’ve just received the news that Minato Namikaze, CEO of Namikaze Tech, has been injured in a car crash in Konoha City. Please send him get well messages at…” _

Minato Namikaze  _ what?! _

Sasuke jolted up, ignoring the black fog that flooded his vision and reached for his phone. He dialed Naruto’s number instantly, as he’d already memorized the blond’s number.

He raised the phone up to his ear shakily and sat back. He waited for a moment and sighed when Naruto didn’t pick up.

He understood. Naruto needed time alone right now. He sent the blond one check-in message and sighed, setting the cell phone down on his lap.

“Why does everything have to happen at the wrong time?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay this was my first time writing a nightmare, so hhfauihusf I'm not sure if I did well. So basically Naruto knows now that Itachi doesn't want him and Sasuke to get together and Sasuke thinks Itachi is trying to be a better brother. Woooo!  
> — Also, in my 15 years of life, I’ve never killed anyone, smoked, or had withdrawals, so if anything I put was inaccurate, please let me know.


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “He experimented on people,” he repeated. “And… Kabuto was a part of it,” Sasuke spoke in a hushed tone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighttttt so it's been a while-- I don't know how long, but it has lmao. I've been having some trouble with motivation but earlier I saw a pleasant email about this story so I decided to continue! I hope you enjoy this long chapter <3

“Egg, please.”

Naruto lifted the topping with his chopsticks and moved it to Minato’s mouth, watching as his dad began to eat it.

Tsunade sat next to Naruto and chuckled, shaking her head at how ridiculous they looked. Minato’s arms were both broken, and his ankle was sprained, so he was pretty much forced into taking a break from work.

“Water, please.”

Naruto snorted as he picked up the bottle. “I told you, you don’t need to say please all the time.”

“I know, but I want to,” Minato said, smiling.

Naruto sighed, the smile not leaving his face. He twisted the cap off and raised the bottle to Minato’s lips. Minato continued to drink until it was two thirds full.

“Thank you. More noodles, please.”

Naruto picked up the chopsticks and dipped them into the bowl of shoyu ramen, taking a lot between the sticks and raising the noodles up to his mouth, along with the bowl. Minato slurped the noodles as graciously as he could without tipping over and spilling it everywhere. Naruto sat back while Minato chewed.

“So, have they found the culprit yet?” Tsunade asked.

Naruto shrugged. “It doesn’t look like it. If they had, it hasn’t reached the media stations yet.”

Minato sighed tiredly. “It was a hit and run. It doesn’t look like they’ll find the culprit any time soon.”

Tsunade gritted her teeth in anger. “Damn those people! And your bodyguards! What were they even doing?!”

Minato shook his head defensively. “Don’t blame them. They were occupied with something.”

“Something that wasn’t protecting you?”

“... Well, yes, but-“

“Then I’ll blame them!”

Naruto frowned and glanced at the phone on the table. It was his, obviously, due to the orange phone case shielding it. It continued to vibrate, so he stood and walked over to it. 

“You’re finally going to talk to your friends?”

Naruto shrugged and picked it up, watching it light up at his touch. Like he’d expected, countless notifications began to pop up. He made a sound of disapproval and pushed his phone into his pocket.

“95 percent of the texts are people I barely know.”

“Shouldn’t you at least tell your friends you’re okay?”

Naruto raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean? Of course I’m okay.”

“They don’t know that. For all you know, maybe they thought you were with Minato when it happened.”

“The news would have covered it,” Naruto mumbled, sitting down.

Tsunade watched Naruto sternly as he crossed his arms in his seat. “Are you avoiding your friends?”

“What? No,” Naruto denied defensively. It was different from his truthful denials. He was usually confident, but this time, his voice was louder and quicker.

“That’s a lie and you know it. What’s wrong?”

Naruto sighed, accepting that he couldn’t fight it anymore.

The truth was, he wasn’t avoiding them because he wanted to. He’d been ignoring everyone because he’d been avoiding  _ Sasuke. _ He felt bad, really bad, because… well, it was Sasuke.

But Shikamaru had told him that he needed to. It was difficult, since every time Sasuke sent a message, a pang of guilt stabbed at Naruto. Sasuke seemed like he was really worried for Naruto. He pulled out his phone and scrolled down the long list of notifications on his lock screen and stopped somewhere at the bottom, where Sasuke’s messages were listed.

_ I heard about the news. I’m sorry that happened. Hopefully you’re doing well. _

_ Are you alright? I’m sorry if this is too soon, I’m just hoping you weren’t affected too deeply by this. _

_ Are you okay? Did something happen to you? At least send me a message so I could know you’re alive. _

Naruto bit his bottom lip. Each message had two or three day intervals. He wanted to tell Sasuke he was okay  _ so badly,  _ but he couldn’t. When Naruto told Shikamaru about Itachi, the black haired teen instantly recommended that he’d stay away from him. Naruto obviously pressed further and asked why, and now he wished he hadn’t.

According to Shikamaru, Itachi had the patience and lack of sanity that was needed to do terrible things, and he’d spoken from experience. Naruto asked what, and Shikamaru refused to answer. 

_ “You’ll just have to trust me on this, Naruto. If you mess with him or Sasuke, he’ll bite you back tenfold.” _

And apparently, messing with Itachi meant getting with Sasuke. It was strange to say the least. Why would Itachi be upset in the first place? It was Sasuke’s choice to choose who he wanted to be with. Naruto groaned as he rubbed his face with his hands.

“I dunno. I just don’t feel like talking to them.”

Tsunade pursed her red lips and crossed her arms. Minato didn’t react, wondering if this was normal behavior from Naruto.

“Well, alright. What about that brat, Sasuke? How was the meal at the Uchihas’?”

Naruto shifted in his seat, wondering if he should really say anything. Minato sighed and shook his head. 

“I don’t know about you, Tsunade, but setting Naruto up for failure doesn’t sit well with me,” he began, closing his eyes. “We know about what happened at the gathering.”

“You do?” Naruto perked up on his seat and placed his phone down. Tsunade merely nodded her head.

“Yeah. Sasuke’s mother let us know. They’ve apologized profusely for what happened.”

“So it’s up to you to decide whether or not to accept their apology,” Tsunade declared.

Naruto was quiet. Of course he accepted it. For him, at least. 

But what they said about Sasuke was infuriating. Unforgivable. He knew exactly what they were doing, talking about him as if he wasn’t there. They were objectifying him, portraying him in a pitiful and disgraceful light that made Naruto seethe with rage.

He didn’t think he’d ever felt this angry before in his life. Naruto and Itachi had been the only ones to speak up against them, and Sasuke looked like he’d given up. Like he was tired of fighting it.

That sight made Naruto’s blood boil. It wasn’t their right to belittle Sasuke in front of everyone else, including him. He knew it was probably disrespectful to speak up like that, but what else could he do? He wouldn’t have been able to live with himself if he hadn’t stood up for Sasuke.

Why couldn’t people just see others as how they truly were? Sasuke was so much more than someone with a troublesome condition.

He was calm, honest, creative, smart, and had a lot of love for the people he cared about. He was  _ kind,  _ which would have been a tough pill for the old Naruto to swallow. He was good at giving advice; he’d helped Naruto and Minato find themselves and their relationship as father and son.

He couldn’t believe a family could treat someone that way. Sasuke deserved so much more than being told he needed to work harder. He already did work hard, why couldn’t they see that?!

Naruto didn’t want to think about what else the raven had heard from them.

And the issue about Sasuke’s dad...

“I…”

“Honestly, I’m pissed at them,” Tsunade said, before he could get a word in.

“What? Why?” Naruto asked, genuinely perplexed.

“What do you  _ mean  _ why? It’s completely wrong to speak like that, especially in front of guests,” she said, brushing a blonde strand from her face.

Minato nodded. “She’s right. It’s definitely lowered a few points in my book. I won’t be able to view the Uchihas, especially Sasuke’s father, in the same way any longer.”

Naruto sighed. “It’s not like they knew I was-“

Tsunade slammed her fist down on the table, a loud crack flooding the room. Naruto and Minato both jumped and turned to look at her. They were faced with a look of hostility.

“It doesn’t matter if they knew. They shouldn’t be projecting their opinions on children nor guests, period.”

The boy was quiet, pondering her words for a moment. There was no doubt that she was right. It was dangerous to promote a person’s own ideals to the people around them, especially from a young age. Naruto did not want to know what kind of ideas were spoonfed to Sasuke when he was younger.

No wonder Sasuke was so hesitant about it all. Being in relationships with people meant coming to terms with what genders or groups you actually were attracted to, and for Sasuke, that meant men. He and Sakura had already been such a disaster, so it was no wonder he stayed away from dating after that.

“I know how close you and Sasuke have gotten,” Minato began. “But is it worth it? Being around people who have those opinions?”

“Yes,” he answered, almost immediately. “Of course it’s worth it.”

“You know what? Maybe I could change their opinions while I’m at it!”

Tsunade only laughed quietly and shook her head. Minato smiled warmly, his chest swelling with pride for his son.

“You really are a brat, you know that?” Tsunade teased.

Naruto chuckled and ran a hand through his sandy, unruly hair.

Sure, he was laughing, but he was telling the truth. He was going to make sure Sasuke’s family would accept Sasuke for being gay, no matter what. And he was going to make sure that they’d see how strong Sasuke really was.

* * *

“That’s tough, man. He’s obviously ghosting you,” Suigetsu remarked.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and grumbled, sitting back onto his seat.

He and his father were giving each other silent treatment now, and that was to be expected. Itachi had successfully lured him away, much to Sasuke’s surprise, and the two brothers were actually on better terms than before.

It was the day before winter break‘s official ending, and Sasuke felt… strange. Naruto hadn’t answered him in days, and it hurt. Karin, Suigetsu, and Juugo were sitting around him at the park, they had just gone to the nearby corner store to buy some snacks. Suigetsu had a large appetite, so the other three just decided to give him their own food since they really weren’t that hungry.

“Have you been giving him space?” Karin asked.

“I think so. All I’ve done is text him a couple times. And call him. Twice.”

Suigetsu frowned and scratched his head. Sasuke clearly was in a predicament. After being  _ slightly  _ pressured, he gave in and let them know that he was completely head-over-heels for the blond. Which meant that being ghosted by the individual caught by his affection was triple times more painful than it would be if he didn’t have a hopeless crush on Naruto.

But the thing was, it wasn’t hopeless. It was so obvious that Naruto liked Sasuke back. And Sasuke knew it too. A couple of days ago, they were so close to doing something. Anything. Anything that could have meant something. Be it a hug, holding hands, a kiss—

But then… well, Sasuke didn’t know who to blame the next part on. 

“Maybe he needs  _ more _ space,” Karin suggested.

“But why? Like, I know his dad’s injured and all, but does he really need it? He could have just texted Sasuke a quick ‘hey, I’m fine,’ or something,” Suigetsu said, frowning.

“Whatever,” Sasuke mumbled. “I’ll see him tomorrow anyway. Maybe he’s mad at my family or something.”

“That doesn’t give him a right to just ignore you, though,” Karin crossed her arms.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, which were fixated on how his fingers were folding the cream-colored piece of paper in front of him.

“I think you should give him time. Maybe there’s more to the story,” Juugo said, his back leaning on a nearby tree.

“I think we should beat his-“

“Karin, what’s your problem?” Suigetsu snapped, an unfamiliar seriousness interwoven into his tone.

“Nothing,” was her retort as she sucked her teeth in annoyance.

“Nothing, my ass. You’ve been bitching on and on about Naruto for weeks. Are you jea—?”

“No, I’m not!” Karin shrieked before he could finish. Sasuke and Juugo remained silent. Suigetsu and Karin were even more violent with each other than usual, and it was quite terrifying.

Suigetsu raised both hands, as if he was trying to calm her down. “Okay, okay. But seriously, what’s your problem with him?”

“Oh my God, I said nothing. Let’s just move on-“

“But if we do move on, we’ll come back to this topic and the same thing will happen again.”

“Keep talking and I’ll beat  _ your _ ass, Hozūki.”

“Why do you want to beat asses so bad?”

“Because I want to!”

“You two need to calm down,” Juugo stated. Sasuke merely nodded. The two were crazier than normal, and  _ normal _ was crazy.

Suigetsu scoffed. “I’m already calm. It’s Karin who’s-“

“Okay, fine!” Karin yelled, her pale face slightly pink with anger. “You want to know why I’m pissed, I’ll tell you.”

Sasuke, Suigetsu and Juugo watched her in anticipation. Karin only took a deep breath and sat down, removing her hot pink glasses and closing her eyes.

“I was adopted, okay?”

They were all silent. Out of everything, they hadn’t expected that.

Karin continued. “And my birth mother is Kazumi Uzumaki. She died a year or two after I was born. My.. new parents let me keep my name, but they never told me about who I was related to or anything.”

She took a deep breath in and sighed. “There's someone else in the school with the last name Uzumaki, and that happens to be Naruto, and guess what else I found out? His mom was my mom’s sister. It just sucks ‘cause… I dunno. You guys know my situation and everything, so to see the rest of my family like that is…”

The situation she was speaking of was quite a touchy subject. The four of them knew that Karin’s life outside of school was.. not ideal. Money was a luxury and now that Sasuke was around, she had more access to it. But she was stubborn and always refused it.

Meanwhile, Naruto lived a life much like Sasuke’s. He had money, more money than Karin could dream of. He had a house that had multiple floors, while Karin only lived in an apartment downtown. 

Karin’s parents, or, well, adoptive parents, did not have much money. Her mom didn’t work, and her dad was a taxi driver. Karin was known to be a troublemaker, so that only worsened her time at home. 

Sasuke loosely understood her situation. She lived a difficult life that could have been easier. She could have been around people who truly knew her, her heritage. People who could have given her things that she didn’t need to fight or beg for. People who could have seen her for who she truly was.

People who could have seen him for who he truly was. Instead of seeing his weaknesses. Or his money, his last name, or his position within the social scale. Someone who didn’t see him as a victim, or an asshole, or just another person at school who preferred to be alone. Someone who was…

Naruto.

Naruto said something at the dining table that day that touched Sasuke. 

_ “Sasuke already does aim for the top, and he’s the most hardworking person I know.” _

Those words terrified Sasuke. He had no idea how simple words could take control of his heart and flood his brain and body with feelings that he’d tried so hard to avoid.

The thing was that they were not just simple words. They held a meaning that went far beyond the lips and tongue. They came from the heart. A big one, since it was Naruto.

Words that made Sasuke’s heart beat faster. They made his lips quiver and Sasuke couldn’t help but hide his tear-brimmed eyes behind his dark locks of hair. 

_ Why won’t you answer me, Naruto? _

* * *

_ Why aren’t you sitting with me, Naruto? _

_ Why aren’t you talking to me? _

_ Why aren’t you looking at me? _

_ Why are you ignoring me?! _

Sasuke’s obsidian eyes were glued on the back of Naruto’s blond head, which was turned in Shikamaru’s direction.

For an unknown reason that Sasuke loathed, Naruto wasn’t just ignoring him. He was avoiding him. But why? Was Naruto truly bothered by Sasuke’s family? Enough to stay away from Sasuke?

Sasuke wasn’t going to lie to himself. It stung. The seat that he’d always looked forward to sitting beside was now empty.

Naruto was at the front, laughing and talking to Shikamaru. Sasuke hadn’t even been able to see his face. His sweaty palms clutched at his sleeves as another pang of sorrow hit him. He didn’t mean to feel selfish but he couldn’t help it. He wanted Naruto to be laughing with  _ him.  _ This was  _ their _ time to sit with each other. 

He felt like a toddler that was just abandoned at the grocery store. 

What did toddlers say again? Sasuke thought back to a moment in elementary, when a classmate he’d walked away from had cried out,  _ “You betray-ded me!”  _ The failed attempt to say  _ betrayed _ lingering in his memory.

Sasuke only bit his lip, hard but not hard enough to draw blood. He felt pathetic. When he had returned to Konoha City, he had with the goal of remaining isolated.

But then Naruto had to come and  _ ruin  _ it all.

Sasuke clenched his jaw as anger rushed through him, before he felt himself calm down from that rage-filled high.

What was wrong with him? Why was he antagonizing Naruto? 

Red burned Sasuke’s cheeks as he clenched his fists in shame while Kakashi droned on about whatever they were learning. He was acting like a _ child. _

But then again, what did Naruto expect from him?

Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut, ignoring the strange, prickly sensation that came with it. Like the one he got when a piece of pineapple would remain on his tongue and the roof of his mouth. 

Maybe he had to pretend like he understood, like he did with Itachi. A quiet, humorless laugh escaped his lips, drowned out by the chatter of the classroom around him. He didn’t know what he’d expected. Naruto was obviously tired of him. Or even worse, maybe Sasuke wore him out.

Maybe it was Christmas. Guilt swirled in Sasuke’s stomach, making him feel sick. He shouldn’t have agreed to Itachi’s suggestion. It had been Itachi who’d wanted Naruto to come over. Something about paying Naruto back. It clearly hadn’t, much to his dismay.

He tore his gaze away from the back of Naruto’s head and stared down at his page, which he hadn’t touched once since the beginning of class.

“Someone hasn’t been paying attention.”

Sasuke jumped and spun around, finding Kakashi standing right behind him. He didn’t know why, but he’d been expecting someone else. Someone whose long dark strands of hair often tickled the side of Sasuke’s face.

Instead of recoiling, he gave the man a dirty look and wrinkled his nose. “Do you usually sneak up on your students?”

“Perhaps. Only if they aren’t doing what they’re supposed to do.”

Sasuke tapped his foot on the tile flooring in annoyance, wishing Kakashi wasn’t here to pester him today.

The silver haired teacher obviously did not care, since he decided to sit next to Sasuke, on Naruto’s seat, instead.

“I see Naruto isn’t sitting next to you anymore.”

“That’s none of your business,” Sasuke snarled through gritted teeth. 

Kakashi’s eyebrows were knitted together. Had something happened between the two boys?

“Of course it isn’t. It’s just strange to see you two apart after being attached to the hip for months.”

Sasuke’s expression was stormy while he picked up his pencil and began to write.

“Y’know, recently I found out that Iruka was Naruto’s elementary school teacher.”

“I don’t care.”

“According to him, Naruto used to be a really loud kid, louder than now.”

“I don’t care.”

“You’d think he wasn’t afraid of anything, with how he manages to barge into everything without warning.”

“I  _ don’t care.” _

“But sometimes during class he used to get  _ really  _ bad nightmares. And when I say really bad I mean night terrors.”

That shut Sasuke up, much to his annoyance. He was curious to see what Kakashi was getting at.

“I’m sure he’s told you about his godfather by now.”

Sasuke nodded, waiting for elaboration.

“He’s watched death happen. Not unlike you,” he began. “You two have something you could relate with.”

“And? That doesn’t mean anything.”

“But the thing for Naruto is, he still remembers it. Every detail. And when you see something you know you’ll remember, you won’t be able to get rid of the images in your head for some time.”

Sasuke shivered a bit at that, the pictures that Itachi had showed him making an appearance at the forefront of his thoughts. “Okay? What does that have to do with me?”

Kakashi shrugged. “It was just interesting to know. It reminds me of someone.”

The pale teen knew exactly who Kakashi was talking about. He’d seen the parallels too, between Naruto and Obito. He could tell Kakashi was talking about himself too.

Kakashi and Obito had seen war. And both of them grew out of it differently.

That still didn’t stop him from asking: “Who?”

Kakashi smiled from behind his mask, and for the first time in a while, Sasuke couldn’t distinguish the emotion that lingered in his gaze.

“It reminds me of Itachi.”

Sasuke sat still, not knowing what to do with that sentence. When did… Itachi come into the picture? He breathed in through his nose and sighed.

“Why?”

His voice was raspy, as if he’d been yelling, even though most of it was in his head.

“I’ll drive you home. I’ll tell you the story on the way.”

Sasuke opened his mouth to reply, but Kakashi was already at the front of the classroom, telling the class to pack up. His onyx eyes couldn’t help but peer at the familiar flash of yellow at the front of the classroom, regardless of the sharp stabs of agony it gave him.

Shikamaru was there too, sending a shiver down Sasuke’s spine. He was reminded of his nightmare— which had to be one of the most terrifying experiences he’d had, even if it was just a dream.

In his dream, Shikamaru was dead. And Orochimaru was too. Sasuke bit his lip and gulped, ignoring the acidic taste at the back of his throat. Orochimaru was scary. At least, in the dream he was. 

It was clear that Shikamaru had died because of Sasuke. Because Sasuke had been stupid enough to almost tell him the secret he’d been holding in for almost a decade. Sasuke snorted at the thought of a 10 year anniversary of the courtroom massacre.

Surely Itachi wasn’t crazy enough to harm Sasuke’s friends. He couldn’t be. Maybe he had a reason for the court, but mere teenagers? There was just no way.

Kakashi cleared his throat and everyone turned to stare at him.

“There’s an announcement that the department of education wants to make.

During winter break, it’s been confirmed that Orochimaru is now dead.

After a couple of weeks in the ICU, somebody posing as a doctor visited his room. He was strangled to death and the culprit hasn’t been found.

We’re going to have a moment of silence at some point during the day, and I just want all of you to know,

Be careful. The person that did this is still out there. It seems that Kabuto Yakushi had one, if not multiple accomplices with him.

Stay safe. When you walk home, I want all of you to walk in groups.”

The bell rang, but no one moved.

“Shikamaru, stay here for a moment.”

The room exploded into murmurs and whispers, girls and boys shuddering in terror and shock and walking out. The flash of yellow was gone, replaced with emptiness. Naruto was gone too.

Everyone was gone, leaving Sasuke alone in his seat, sick to his stomach.

Orochimaru was really dead. And Sasuke knew exactly who’d done it. 

“Ah, you’re here too, Sasuke. That’s good. I was debating on whether I should keep you here, but you stayed anyway,” Kakashi said. Shikamaru scrutinized Sasuke in silence.

Sasuke nodded vacantly, half-listening to the warnings that Kakashi was giving them. 

“There is a high chance that the person responsible is attending school at this moment right now… but…”

The Uchiha’s lithe body stood, slightly shaking as the voices and his vision blurred out of focus. He couldn’t do this. Itachi couldn’t continue doing this to him. He just wanted to be with Naruto—

Why couldn’t he just be with Naruto?

Sasuke’s thin fingers clutched onto the bin desperately as he emptied the contents in his stomach. His senses were coming back to him, Kakashi’s murmurs of encouragement and the larger hand rubbing his back soothingly.

Did he… vomit? Sasuke’s tired eyes flitted downwards to see the ugly liquid. He tried to speak, hoping it was coherent.

“Orochimaru… dead?”

“Shh,” was the gentle reply from the adult behind him, whose hands wrapped around his torso and lifted him away from the bin. “Easy. Shikamaru, lock the door.”

Sasuke missed the look of disbelief on the ponytail-wearing teen’s face. Shikamaru went anyway, not bothering to question why Kakashi wasn’t just sending Sasuke to the nurse’s office.

“Kakashi, I can’t—“

“Calm down.” Kakashi brought him over to a nearby desk and wiped the corner of his mouth with a tissue. He pulled out a bottle of water and handed it to Sasuke.

“I-I c-, he  _ knew.” _

“Drink some water first, then talk.”

Sasuke’s pale, trembling hands took the bottle, bringing it up to his lips. He hated everything about this.

What was happening now undeniably confirmed everything his family thought about him. He just couldn’t  _ function.  _ He hated every last bit of it. He hated the patient look that Kakashi was giving him.

He drank slowly, in order to refrain from choking. Shikamaru stood at the corner of his eye with that same probing look. He was definitely suspicious of Sasuke, and this wasn’t the first time he’d looked at him in that way.

After clearing his throat, Sasuke took a long, deep breath. “He… Orochimaru, he…”

He had to get this out. Itachi had to pay. Orochimaru knew he killed everyone—

“I was going to say the same thing,” Shikamaru announced. Kakashi and Sasuke turned to him in perplexity.

“I think I know why Orochimaru was killed.”

* * *

“I think I know why Orochimaru was killed.”

Shikamaru wanted to hit himself. Why was he doing this? 

“... That’s a serious statement. You do?” Kakashi asked tentatively.

It was clear that the boy had been doing his own research about the case, even though his father was the one in charge. “Yeah.”

Sasuke was as quiet as a mouse, widened eyes observing in alarm. Shikamaru knew why. It all made sense now. Sasuke was obviously scared for Itachi, and he was about to blow it for  _ all  _ of them if he told Kakashi why Orochimaru had really been killed.

So Shikamaru decided to leave a couple of details out, and include something that he hoped Sasuke would catch onto.

Yeah, he was definitely not getting out of this one.

“Orochimaru… Before he was killed, he gave me something. An offer, in a purple envelope.”

Sasuke’s lips parted slightly in remembrance.  _ That’s it, he’s got it! _ Kakashi raised a silver eyebrow and crossed his arms. “An offer?”

Both Shikamaru and Sasuke nodded. “Yes,” he replied. “It was to join an organization.”

“The Ryuchi Organization,” Sasuke whispered.

“The Ryuchi Organization,” Shikamaru repeated. “Sasuke was invited too.”

Sasuke sat up, his expression hardening into one of determination. Shikamaru sighed in relief, the rest was up to Sasuke.

“I was. When I checked the website, it seemed promising. They had proper credentials and looked credible enough to join. But then… Ita-,” Sasuke paused, pondering for a moment. “I found out that it was all just a mask. A trap.”

Kakashi narrowed his eyes and frowned through his cloth mask. Shikamaru couldn’t help but smirk. He was finally going to figure out the true context, and it was obvious that Sasuke was about to mention Itachi.

“I… did some digging. And I found out about what they truly did.” Sasuke clenched his fists and looked at Shikamaru, who gritted his teeth.

Aw, fuck. He wanted Shikamaru to continue.

Damn it! He had no idea! Shikamaru nodded and crossed his arms.  _ Time to bullshit it, I guess. How troublesome. _ “It was… disgusting. I couldn't believe Orochimaru sensei would do something like that.”

“Cut to the chase. What was it?” Kakashi inquired.

“He experimented on people,” Sasuke finally stated. HIs voice was terse and abrupt. 

Shikamaru bit his tongue to stop himself from gaping, and Kakashi’s mask stretched downwards, conveying that he was, in fact, gaping.

“... What?”

“He experimented on people,” he repeated. “And… Kabuto was a part of it,” Sasuke spoke in a hushed tone.

“I.. I’ve assumed for a while that.. Maybe Kabuto got sick of it, helping Orochimaru with that. Maybe that was why he… Maybe another member of the group could have..”

Shikamaru knew that tone. Sasuke was lying straight through his pearly straight teeth. And Shikamaru was going to too.

“That’s what I was thinking.”

Kakashi stood there, in shock. Shikamaru understood why. Like, it was pretty strange to have two of your students telling you something so blasphemous and profane. It was almost comical, Shikamaru himself could barely believe it was happening.

“But we’ve  _ got  _ to keep it a secret,” Sasuke said hurriedly.

Shikamaru nodded. “Yes. We have to be completely sure about it, and have as much evidence as possible. There’s a chance that one of them might find out.”

“One of them works in the police force,” Sasuke declared, causing Shikamaru to freeze. “His name is Sakon.”

Oh, great. Sasuke  _ had  _ to make the situation worse by claiming that his father was in danger. As the lead detective of the police force, Shikaku Nara was brilliant at his occupation. So if he  _ did _ find something against someone in the Ryuchi group that Itachi may have planted, he was in big trouble.

“I’m going to need some time to take this in. You two, I’m just an English teacher, I don’t--”

“You do,” Sasuke interrupted. “You were in the military, and you know people in law enforcement. Please help us figure this out, Kakashi. Only you can do it.”

If only he had the guts to laugh in the Uchiha’s face. The two teenagers were so balls deep into this that snitching on the real killer was a foreign subject to them. 

Shikamaru sighed, his mind settling on a certain blonde with four ponytails and a man with a black ponytail that deeply resembled his own.

Life is such a drag. 


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The troughs beneath his eyes were like pathways for the droplets, allowing them to fall gracefully down his cheeks. They looked like tears.

Sasuke was in a predicament. A really bad one, and he didn’t know what to do. He and Shikamaru met up after talking to Kakashi, who needed some time to let their words sink in. They tried to come up with a plan, but were unsuccessful. Sasuke couldn’t stop himself from eventually hitting the other boy with the question.

“You’re a friend of Naruto’s. Why is he avoiding me?”

Shikamaru stood there for a second, frozen, before sighing deeply. “Well, there’s no point in lying anymore. It’s for his safety.”

Sasuke raised a dark brow and crossed his arms, trying to appear less hurt and offended than he really was. “His safety?”

“Yeah. Not from… not from you, but from…”

In his head, Sasuke’s gears were turning. It was only a matter of who brought the forbidden name up first now. Sasuke sighed in defeat, and could only answer in a whisper.

“Itachi.”

Shikamaru nodded, causing Sasuke to wince. This was the first time the two of them had acknowledged that Itachi was a threat, despite Sasuke’s belief that he truly wasn’t all that bad anymore.

“Why? I know Itachi. Sure he’s done some.. evil things in the past, but he wouldn’t hurt Naruto.”

The other teen’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t know what I’ve seen.”

“What have you seen?” Sasuke asked, ignoring the dread pooling at the bottom of his stomach. He hoped his brother hadn’t threatened Naruto or Shikamaru, but the chances were only becoming greater.

“Remember that meltdown you had in class? When Orochimaru.. you know.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, when you were hugging Itachi and crying on him—“ that earned a grimace from the Uchiha, “— he kind of looked at me all menacingly. I know it doesn’t sound that bad when I say it, but-“

“It really doesn’t. Itachi just looks like that. Plus, why would he do that anyway?”

“Because I’m onto him. At first, I was onto you since you acted so suspicious. Turns out you were just defending your brother.”

Sasuke flinched, but he remained silent.

“I’m the son of the lead detective, who happens to be a damn good one. And that’s not all; he messed with Naruto too.”

The pale skinned raven balled his hands into fists and clenched his jaw, his eyes not leaving Shikamaru. It didn’t do much to hide the fearful look on his face. It vanished in an instant, leaving a hardened, stony expression on his features that barely masked his terror.

“What did he do?” He asked through gritted teeth, barely able to contain his anger.

With a moue of annoyance at the entire ordeal, Shikamaru elaborated. “Basically he tried to discourage Naruto from, y’know, being with you. He said something about you not doing well under pressure.”

That didn’t sound like Itachi at all. Well, maybe it did, but why? What business did Itachi have with Sasuke’s relationships? Sasuke bit his tongue.

But before he could answer, Shikamaru stood. 

“I’m going to go now. But before I do, let me tell you this. Naruto doesn’t hate you. In fact, he misses you just as much as you miss him. I’m the one who made him keep his distance because I know that Itachi is unstable enough to really do something.”

Sasuke nodded numbly. He wanted to defend Itachi badly, but after hearing this…

“So I have a job for you,” Shikamaru announced. “I want you to try, I don’t know, using your brotherly love to convince him not to do anything. Don’t tell him you know anything, though. Do it subtly, or he’ll actually assume we told you something.”

Sasuke nodded, trying to hide the feeling of shame and disappointment. Shikamaru turned, and was about to leave, but Sasuke interrupted him.

“Why are you helping me?”

Shikamaru stopped, his hand hovering above the doorknob. 

“I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing this for Naruto and myself. I’m going to be honest. None of this would have happened if Naruto didn’t meet you.”

Sasuke became tense. Shikamaru was right, all of this was happening because Itachi knew that Sasuke and Naruto had a thing going on. But Sasuke didn’t want to blame himself at all, especially since the doubt in his chest was growing.

It wasn’t. It wasn’t his fault! Itachi made him this way! Itachi! It was all Itachi’s fault.

But wasn't Itachi doing this _because_ of Sasuke?

“But for some reason, Naruto still likes and cares about you. I care about him, so that’s why I’m still around.”

Shikamaru twisted the golden knob and opened the wooden door. Sasuke remained still.

“If Naruto or any of my friends get hurt directly by this, it’s over.”

Click. Shut. 

All Sasuke could do was stare blankly at the door, beginning to wonder if coming back was really a good idea at all. 

* * *

“Heup!”

Kakashi grunted as he sat in his car seat. Sasuke sat in the back seat, the familiar scents that Izumo used no longer a quirk of being driven home.

Kakashi had mentioned something peculiar earlier today, but it was quite overshadowed by the other events that transpired. Kakashi was still in shock about Sasuke and Shikamaru’s supposed “knowledge,” but what he didn’t know couldn’t hurt him, right?

Sometimes Kakashi Hatake liked to speak in riddles, or ways that just didn’t make sense. Things with contexts that didn’t relate to situations at all. Somehow, like always, they always ended up relating sooner or later.

“You said you were going to tell me a story. Tell me.”

“Ever the impatient one. Eh, Sasuke?”

Sasuke rolled his eyes and adjusted his seatbelt. “You’re the one who said you were. So do it, tell me.”

Kakashi chuckled and hummed in agreement as the car began to move. It was a nice car, furnished tidily on the inside and a metallic desaturated blue on the outside. Sasuke wondered why the teacher chose blue for a moment, but shook it off.

Sasuke sometimes wondered how Kakashi could live with the losses he’d endured. Rin and Obito were the tokens of his life, especially after his own father passed away after succumbing to the fatal stage of depression. 

Don’t get him wrong— Obito was still alive. Rotting in prison for all the Uchihas cared. But it was so much more than that to Kakashi. It was his fourth loss, starting with his father’s suicide, Obito supposedly dying, Rin’s death, and now Obito’s imprisonment due to his heinous crimes.

How a person could change from such a bright, carefree boy to a cold, mass murdering criminal could only darken Sasuke’s mental picture of war.

Itachi was no exception. Sasuke wondered briefly if he’d seen the same things Obito had. Maybe Kakashi knew, and was trying to save him from that darkness.

The leather seat was fairly warm, like the rest of the interior. It seemed to be because of the heater that worked quite well in Sasuke’s opinion. Recently it had been difficult to get warm.

As if on cue, Sasuke shuddered. Kakashi watched him from the corner of his only eye. The withdrawals only seemed to be getting worse.

Naruto used to calm him down.

Sasuke clenched his jaw in pain and squeezed his eyes shut. He tried to will the hurt in his stomach away but it just wouldn’t budge. Sure, Naruto wasn’t angry at him, but he was in danger.

“Before I tell you, take this.”

Sasuke cracked his eyes slightly in time to catch the flying bottle that Kakashi had tossed. It was pastel blue, like the color of the sky, with a sticker on it.

“Painkillers,” Sasuke confirmed.

“You look terrible. Hopefully they help with whatever you’re going through.”

Sasuke, glad that Kakashi hadn’t prodded, nodded and took a pill, dryly swallowing it. He ignored the judgemental look that came from the teacher and took a deep breath in to calm his heavy heart.

Kakashi’s expression softened into one of laziness as he pressed his shoe on the acceleration. 

“Alright. Well, I’m sure no one’s told you this before due to your… frustrating relationship with your older brother.”

 _An understatement, but I guess,_ Sasuke thought.

“And you were very young, so you don’t remember much about it.” Sasuke nodded, waiting for Kakashi to get to the point. His teeth chattered for a moment before he bit the inside of his cheek in an attempt to stop it.

Kakashi sighed, clearly hesitant to continue. “Promise to keep this a secret. To yourself and yourself only.”

Sasuke swallowed before he could laugh humorlessly. He tried his best to blink away the incoming tears at the sheer hilarity of those words.

It truly was hilarious. The funniest thing he'd ever heard. Who did Kakashi think he was talking to?

Sasuke was starting to become okay with his own secrets.

The secrets he’d been holding in for so long were becoming so ingrained into his mind, like a mantra, that now it was starting to become a part of his life outside of his head.

If this kept up, Sasuke was sure at some point he’d announce it to the entire world. He was going crazy. He needed to tell someone that understood and cared about _him._ Someone that wasn’t Itachi. 

Sasuke couldn’t believe himself. Was he starting to forgive Itachi? Had he already forgiven Itachi?

The raven didn’t even realize he was hyperventilating at this point. His breaths were shallow and uneven, and Kakashi was beside him.

What? How did Kakashi get there?

Sasuke couldn’t feel his face, but his mouth was sore. And that’s when he heard it.

One last broken giggle escaped his lips, followed by a gasp.

He was laughing… and he didn’t even notice. Kakashi’s eye was wide at Sasuke’s absurdness. Sasuke’s crazed, maniacal grin melted into a look of horror. He wanted to leave the car and run out in humiliation. His face was red with shame and embarrassment and he wanted to die.

“Sasuke…?” Kakashi whispered carefully.

Sasuke’s lips quivered before stopping, and quivered again. He bit the flesh of his bottom lip that faced the inside of his mouth to stop it.

He was going crazy… crazier than Itachi…

What was he going to do…?

“I’m not… crazy,” he quietly finished; quieter than any volume he’d heard himself speak before. He felt himself shrink under Kakashi’s look of concern. “I’m not,” he repeated.

Kakashi nodded slowly. “Alright. Sasuke… was there any reason why you.. felt the need to laugh like that?”

Sasuke’s jaw was clenched again; hard. His teeth jammed into each other, pressing hard enough to hurt. But it didn’t hurt enough to distract him from the pain he was feeling inside.

“N- ….”

“It’s okay. You don’t need to answer. I’ll tell you the story another time. I suggest you speak to someo-“

“Tell me,” Sasuke interrupted him quickly.

“Sasuke… I don’t think that’s a good-“

 _“Please,”_ Sasuke begged. He was good at keeping secrets.

He was good.

_He was good He was good He was good He was good He was good He was good Hewasgoodhewasgood—_

“Fine. But please talk to someone that could help, Sasuke.”

Sasuke nodded. He ignored the guilt that settled in his stomach and took a deep breath as Kakashi walked out and into his own seat.

Kakashi had pulled over because he’d been worried about Sasuke. 

After Kakashi asked him to keep the information a secret, Sasuke stared blankly at the man for a moment too long. Kakashi’s suspicions were confirmed once the teen began to take shorter, shallower breaths.

At first Kakashi assumed it was a panic attack, so he drove to the side of the road to aid Sasuke from beside him. However, just as he stopped, he heard sounds that were far from expected.

He turned around at the sound of choking only to see Sasuke with vacant eyes and a smile on his face. It was a smile that chilled Kakashi to the bone, because it reminded him of himself all that time ago. It was a broken smile of hopelessness.

And then Sasuke began to laugh. A fit of maniacal laughter jolted through him, but his face didn’t reflect the extreme reaction. He was smiling, but it conveyed nothing.

Kakashi had never seen something like that come out of Sasuke before. His psychotic fit was bewildering to the silver haired man.

Fear struck the English teacher at a sudden realization. That laugh… it was just like…

Kakashi’s hands shook over the steering wheel. There was no way this was a coincidence. Sasuke had been hit by the butt of a gun when that incident occurred. The only ones who could have done it were Obito and his unknown accomplice, of course. 

What if the accomplice hadn’t escaped? What if the accomplice was—

 _Oh God,_ Kakashi interrupted his thoughts. _I’m becoming just as crazy as him._

Sasuke was beginning to act like Obito days before he supposedly died. Was it an Uchiha thing? Kakashi shivered at the idea.

“When Itachi was younger, he was diagnosed with Alexithymia due to a failed kidnapping incident.”

Sasuke froze. 

_What?_

“Alexithymia…?”

“The inability to feel or understand emotions. Itachi was about two or three when it developed. At that time, your father’s business was growing quickly. I guess the kidnappers thought that if they had Itachi in their hands, they’d steal as much money from the business as they could.”

Sasuke sat still and held his breath. Fear didn’t even strike him when he realized that all he could think about was the chance of Itachi being able to get away with his crimes if he pleaded insanity. 

“They used violence with other people, leading Itachi to become rather traumatized until the age of 5 or 6.”

“When I was…” Sasuke whispered in awe.

Kakashi nodded. “When you were born, Itachi’s behavior started to change. Your parents were ecstatic, of course. Sure, he still had trouble conveying emotion, but you were emotional enough for him to begin to replicate them.”

Sasuke gulped. Was that it? Was Itachi trying to thank him for helping him feel again, in that morbid, twisted way of his?

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the road, and Sasuke watched from the rear view mirror.

“So you must have imagined everyone’s surprise the first time Itachi exhibited rage.”

“Rage…?”

“Yes. Hm, I was around.. sixteen or seventeen at the time. I had just begun to stick around with your family due to my friendship with Obito, so I was there when it happened.”

Sasuke nodded, impatient for the rest of the story. He wanted to know more about Itachi’s mentality, more about Itachi himself. Sasuke realized now that he truly knew _nothing._

“You were only three, I suppose. And Itachi was eight. You stuck to him like glue, and he’d only begun to reciprocate it. One day, during a family reunion, Itachi was holding you. You talked a lot as a toddler, so I don’t think he was really listening to what you were saying.”

Kakashi paused, inhaling before exhaling.

“Then, a relative asked if they could hold you. Before anyone could say anything, Itachi said no.”

Sasuke snorted. Of course he did.

“He said please. Itachi said no again. After multiple attempts to ask, the man just took you from Itachi anyway.”

“And then what?” Sasuke asked innocently.

Kakashi didn’t speak.

“And then what?” Sasuke demanded.

“Itachi took a knife from the table and stabbed the man’s left leg. It scared everybody, including you, when he began to scream. Itachi didn’t react. Instead, he took you from his arms and walked away.”

Sasuke's eyes were wide and his mouth was open. He couldn’t believe it. Itachi really did that?

“Not even Itachi knows about this. Your parents tried hard to keep it a secret.”

“So why… are you telling me this?”

The car parked at the Uchiha Manor’s parking lot, and Kakashi cleared his throat.

“I want to know why you’ve been defending him for what he did.”

* * *

“That’s it. I can’t do this anymore.”

“What? Can't do what anymore?”

Temari took a deep, shaky breath in and Shikamaru watched her with a pained expression.

“You always find excuses not to spend time with me. It’s obvious, you know.”

Shikamaru sighed and ran his palm down his face.

“Temari, it’s hard for me to explain, but—“

“I know what you want to explain. You don’t want to be with me anymore. And it’s obvious, smartass.”

Shikamaru shook his head. “No- it’s because-“

“I _get_ it, okay? That’s it.”

“Well, you won’t get it if you keep interrupting me!” Shikamaru snapped. Temari’s wince made him calm down a second later.

“I’m sorry. Look, a lot is happening, okay? I can’t.. tell you about it, or I’ll get in big trouble. I love you, Temari, and I’m sorry that I can’t give you what you need.”

Temari gave Shikamaru a soft look and took his hand, shaking her head.

“What are you talking about? You gave me what I needed. All I needed was an explanation.”

Shikamaru sighed in relief. “Thank God. I thought I was about to lose you.”

Temari laughed and shook her head again, crossing her arms.

“Of course not. I’m like lint, stubborn and difficult to get rid of.”

“You couldn’t have picked any other simile?”

“And you _had_ to ruin the moment, didn’t you?”

The two of them laughed. Temari stepped forward and hugged Shikamaru, earning a soft and confused gasp from the boy.

“Take better care of yourself. You haven’t been sleeping, and you look thinner.”

“I’ve been sleeping…”

“Barely. The dark circles under your eyes prove it.”

Shikamaru sighed. “I guess you’re right. And I’ve skipped a couple meals. I’m just stressed,” he admitted.

“I know. Everyone’s been stressed. I mean, your school’s going through a lot. It must be hard to deal with.”

“We’re managing,” Shikamaru replied. “It’s hard, but we’re managing.”

Temari nodded, ignoring the rain that drizzled on their heads and shoulders. She’d known there was something up with Shikamaru for a while. It almost seemed to be his breaking point.

“If you ever need anything, I’m here, okay?” She asked.

“Yeah,” Shikamaru said, smiling. His smile then faded into one of sadness, causing Temari to become concerned. “I don’t deserve you.”

Temari stared at him for a moment, dumbstruck. How could Shikamaru say something like that? Why was he acting like that? Did something truly bad happen to him?

“You deserve every part of me, Shika. I know I’m tough and all most of the time, and I could be hard on you sometimes, but… damn it, I _love_ you.”

Shikamaru smiled lopsidedly and Temari felt her heart swell. The lazy, unmotivated Shikamaru was now vulnerable, and he trusted her. It was a beautiful feeling, to be trusted.

“I love you too, ‘Mari.”

* * *

“I give up. I’m gonna talk to him.”

“Talk to who?”

“Sasuke,” Naruto answered. “Who else?”

Kiba rolled his eyes. “Well _sorry._ Why were you avoiding him anyway?”

Naruto crossed his arms. “None of your business.”

“You’re so rude! I only asked,” Kiba huffed. 

Naruto huffed back and stood up from his seat on the far left booth in Ichiraku’s. He picked up a couple of fries and shoved them in his mouth.

“I miss him,” he sighed.

“Then talk to him, loverboy. I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.”

Naruto frowned. “What?”

“What? He was staring at you the whole day. And he looked sad.”

“He _what?”_ Naruto was hit with a pang of remorse. Sasuke was.. sad because of him. 

_Damn._ Naruto wished the world just didn’t exist. This way none of this would have happened.

“Yeah. I mean, you _did_ ghost him. And us, for that manner.”

“You can’t blame me!” Naruto exclaimed, flailing his arms around wildly. “A lot of crazy shit is happening.”

“I know. Trust me. Even Hinata’s parents don’t want her around me because they don’t trust anyone. They were really overprotective of her before, but they’ve gotten worse because of the whole Orochimaru thing.”

Naruto frowned. The murder was affecting everyone, not just him. He looked down.

“Yeah… I’ll talk to Sasuke.”

“Solid choice. Good luck.”

Naruto smiled, but he didn’t miss the strange tone. Kiba didn’t normally sound that empty. But that wasn’t his priority now. Right now he needed to find Sasuke.

Naruto took a couple of steps before he heard his name one more time. He turned around to see Kiba, who looked grim.

“Be careful, Naruto. Stay safe out there.”

Naruto stood still for a second. No “dude,” no “bro,” no nothing. He scrutinized Kiba before nodding. 

“I will. Don’t worry about me, Kiba.” Naruto flashed him a bright grin. “I’ll be fine.”

Kiba gave him a crooked smile and a thumbs up. Naruto took that as a cue to keep going.

For some reason, he felt the urge to go back and tell Kiba to go with him.

But he didn’t. After all, the details he wanted to share with Sasuke were private.

Naruto groaned when he saw the rain splattering on the large window. The last thing he wanted was to be soaking wet, but here he was. He grumbled and opened the front door, ignoring the jingles of the wind chimes. 

His orange hood was pulled above his head as he made his way to the bus stop. It was quite strange for him, resorting to taking the bud, but he was too lazy to call Kotetsu. 

He pulled his phone out to contact Sasuke and let him know that he was on his way, but then he realized the rain stopped.

“Huh… already?” Naruto held his palm up to feel if there was any rain, and when he felt nothing, he looked up.

To his surprise, the rain didn’t stop. There was an umbrella looming above his head, blocking the rain from reaching him. Naruto’s gaze drifted to the owner of the umbrella, who was standing behind him.

“I- Itachi?”

Itachi smiled down at him in a way that Naruto couldn’t distinguish. Naruto shuddered. He didn’t know what to do. Shikamaru’s words frightened him, and now Itachi was ominously close.

“Hello, Naruto. Surprised by the weather?”

Naruto chuckled nervously. “Yeah. You’re lucky you had an umbrella.”

“Yes, I was fortunate in bringing one,” Itachi said lightly, with that velvety voice of his. 

Naruto hummed in response, fiddling with his phone that was now off. He didn’t need Itachi seeing his lock screen, a picture of himself and Sasuke during the day at Ichiraku’s. 

“Where are you heading?” Itachi asked. 

Naruto froze. He wasn’t going to tell him, no way. He couldn’t.

“To a friend’s..” He trailed off.

“Is that so?” Itachi asked. 

Naruto nodded, biting his tongue. _Don’t tell him anything, don’t tell him anything, don’t tell him anything—_

“Yep. That’s so. Super so. Remarkably so. Tremendously-“

“I get it.”

“That’s nice. Heh.”

Itachi watched him, a familiar yet unfamiliar look plastered on his face. Itachi was watching him with pity. “You’re not a very good liar, are you?”

Naruto’s smile twitched. “What do you mean?”

The older Uchiha closed his eyes and let his face relax into a deadpan. “This won’t do. You’ve hurt Sasuke enough.”

“What? I did?” Naruto asked, ignoring his brain that told him _no, no, shut up, don’t respond._

“Yes. He’s been depressed for the past couple of days. I asked him why and he told me you were avoiding him.”

Naruto’s food churned in his stomach, leaving him nauseous with guilt. The sunset behind Itachi looked like a bruise.

“I didn’t mean to… hurt him…”

“I’m sure you didn’t. But you hurt him.”

“I want to fix it. How do I fix it?” Naruto pleaded. 

Itachi only gave him a look of fake sympathy. “I’ll fix it. I told you, you’ve done enough.”

Naruto’s guilt soon became replaced with fury. He knew exactly what Itachi was doing now.

“I know exactly what you’re doing,” he repeated out loud. He removed his hood and glared up at Itachi.

Itachi raised an eyebrow, subtly mocking Naruto. “What is it you think I’m doing?”

“You’re trying to keep me away from Sasuke. Last time you tried to make me feel bad about asking him out, and before that all you did was act nice to me! What are you planning?”

Itachi tilted his head to the side, false innocence gracing the perfect features that Naruto once admired. “I don’t understand. Please don’t confuse yourself. I’m not as calculating as you think I am.”

Naruto continued to glare at the man, who decided to continue.

“I am only concerned for his well-being. I don’t believe that you’re a bad person, but it seems like ever since he’s met you, his condition has gotten worse.”

Naruto became quiet as he thought about it. In a way, Itachi wasn’t wrong. Sasuke had mentioned at some point that his control of his brain had been fine. Only recently, with Orochimaru’s death and more, had it begun to worsen.

“What could I have done to make it worse? I don’t get it.”

“Sasuke came with the intention of not making friends. However, that seemed to change when you entered the picture. After spending a… considerable amount of time together, it clearly changed into something… more,” Itachi concluded with a look of distaste on his face.

“And? I don’t see how that’s a bad thing.”

“Too much unpredictability can harm a person with a brain of Sasuke’s caliber. And he—“

“You’re just as bad as them,” Naruto growled.

Itachi’s face did not budge. His eyes were dead as always, but Naruto noticed one thing. Those slender fingers tightened their grip on the umbrella’s handle until his knuckles turned white.

“As bad as who?”

“Those people. At Christmas,” he said, seething.

Itachi’s eyes narrowed to the point of becoming slits. Naruto had already hit a nerve.

“I am not as bad as anyone. Don’t compare me to anyone. Right now, you’re testing my patience,” Itachi said calmly, yet dangerously. “Be wise as to not test my patience.”

Naruto felt like crying at what he said next:

“What will you do if I do? Something violent?”

Game. Fucking. Over.

Naruto was fucked. Royally fucked. Sometimes he wished he was mute due to his uncontrollable tongue.

Itachi, however, kept his cool. That only seemed to intensify the fear that settled in Naruto. What exactly was this man capable of?

“Something violent?” Itachi repeated, making sure to extend the syllables enough to shake Naruto out of his trance.

“I love Sasuke. You can’t stop me from loving him, and you can’t stop me from telling him.” Naruto felt dizzy. What was he saying? Loving him..? He told Itachi he _loved_ Sasuke?

“What makes you think your love is worthy?” Itachi finally asked. 

Naruto’s fingers curled into fists, ignoring the confusing nature of the Uchiha’s question. “I already told you. Back in the car.”

“You said it was like all of the feelings you felt before that were dialed down, and were projected with a megaphone.”

Naruto blinked. What Itachi said was… pretty spot on. Honestly it sounded like he’d recited the quote word for word. Naruto tensed. Itachi didn’t memorize it… did he?

“Yeah. I did.”

Itachi shook his head. “That isn’t a valid reason.”

Naruto felt like punching him, but for some reason he assumed that Itachi was stronger than him, and would therefore end him. Instead, he decided to take the careful approach. 

“Okay… then what's your idea of worthiness?”

Itachi paused for a second, most likely surprised that Naruto had actually asked. “You would have been worthy if you were willing to do _anything_ for the person you loved. Just because he makes you feel a certain way does not mean you can have him. You must be devoted to keeping him safe, regardless of how it makes you feel.”

Naruto crossed his arms. “I agree with some of that, but I also disagree. You make it sound like I have to be a bodyguard.”

“If it comes to his well-being, isn’t that a small price to pay?”

Naruto’s eyes inspected Itachi for some time. He considered the question, the undertones, the context, and finally, the person that was speaking. Finally something clicked.

“Itachi… Are you.. jealous?”

Itachi only stood there, causing Naruto to become anxious. He stood for almost a minute, not uttering a single word.

Naruto watched as Itachi’s face continued to solidify into an expression of stone. He allowed his mind to wander to several explanations of why that was the case.

Itachi opened his mouth, leading Naruto to snap out of his thoughts. He closed his eyes.

“I am not jealous. I'm only concerned.”

“If you were really just concerned, you wouldn’t have felt the need to push me away from him.”

Itachi shook his head. “If he spent most of his time with you, he would have ended up being in danger.”

Naruto’s lips were pressed together in a thin line of understanding. “Because you wanted him to spend that time with you.”

“I could care less about that. I just want him to be safe.”

Itachi was being defensive. Naruto was sure of it. He just needed to find a way to get the man to crack without getting hurt.

It wasn’t rare for siblings to want to spend time with their siblings. But the way Itachi was handling it was… not normal. Shikamaru had mentioned that Itachi was crazy enough to do terrible things.

What terrible things could he have done to people who were capable of harming Sasuke?

“I want him to be safe too,” Naruto said honestly. “But haven’t you thought about how _he_ feels?”

Itachi’s perfectly shaped eyebrows furrowed before he answered in a split second. “Of course I have. He needs this.”

“Safety?”

“Yes.”

“But does he want it? Teens like us are rebellious nowadays. Maybe he’s tired of living in a confined bubble.”

“If it’s a matter of life and death, I’d be completely fine if he had to live in a confined bubble.”

“But would he? Think about it. Sasuke would end up getting sick of it at some point. Unpredictability is what he _needs.”_

“What makes you think you know what he needs?” Itachi demanded.

Naruto smirked. He knew the answer. 

“I know because I love him and he loves me. I’ve known him enough to know what he needs.”

Itachi was silent, causing Naruto to continue. Naruto took the silence as a confidence booster. He needed to get this across to Itachi.

“I’m going to be honest. So far, he’s the one who’s been helping me more. He’s done so much for me, and I can’t thank him enough for it. He’s the reason why I’m doing so well with my dad. And my grades. And now I want to help him. He’s going through a lot with his- your family, and his withdrawals. I can tell he’s falling apart, and I just want to be there with him and help him overcome it.”

Itachi parted his lips before closing them, and parting them again. He was clearly confused and conflicted. Naruto let him compose himself.

“Falling apart..? Why?”

“You said it yourself. He was hurt that I was avoiding him, right? Shouldn’t I go fix that now?”

Itachi said nothing, and Naruto was beginning to feel droplets splatter on his face again. He looked up to see the umbrella and widened his eyes in shock.

Itachi’s own feelings were barely composed, his hands shaking so much so that the umbrella was moving along with them. Naruto wondered what Itachi was hiding. What exactly was the adult feeling?

Itachi sighed, dropping the umbrella in defeat.

Naruto stepped back in confusion.

Itachi smiled. A small, clearly fake smile.

“I understand. You win.”

Naruto’s feet were glued to the ground once he realized how carefully the rain seemed to fall on the elder Uchiha.

The troughs beneath his eyes were like pathways for the droplets, allowing them to fall gracefully down his cheeks. They looked like tears.

Naruto didn’t reply, and Itachi said something else that caught his attention.

“When you visit Sasuke, tell him that I want him to tell you the truth about that day in the courtroom. And that it’s up to him if he wants to speak about anything else.”

Before Naruto could say anything, Itachi was gone.

And Naruto felt sharp stabs of pain inside him, like he was being urged to run after Itachi and tell him to wait.

But he didn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea how I did for this chapter-- like, I was barely conscious while I wrote it lmao. Hopefully it made sense! Itachi is finally beginning to realize that what he's been doing has been wrong. But what will he do will that knowledge? And what does Kakashi know? I also love adding little parts with the side characters just to make the atmosphere more apparent. I hope it functioned as well as I wanted it to haha.


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Don’t ask how much I’ve heard,” Naruto said gravely. “It was enough to make me wish I never listened.”

_And you'll be left in the dust_

_Unless I stuck by ya_

_You're the sunflower_

_I think your love would be too much…_

“Naruto, you idiot! Why didn’t you bring an umbrella?” Sakura said as she wiped Naruto down with an extra paper towel from lunch.

Naruto grumbled and crossed his arms in response. The bus plan turned out to be a failure, which meant Naruto _needed_ a ride if he wanted to get to Sasuke. Fortunately, Sakura and Ino happened to be driving nearby.

“I had no idea it was going to rain! Stop being so hard on me,” Naruto whined.

Ino giggled and turned the wheel to the right. Something about her was different, but he couldn’t tell what it was. For a strange reason, a picture of Sai popped up in Naruto’s head.

“I’m not being hard on you. I’m just-- ugh, worried about your stupid ass.”

“Why would you be worried?” Naruto asked genuinely.

“I dunno, maybe it’s ‘cause you went out alone, risked getting sick, and got soaking wet to see Sasuke after avoiding him for a while. Why were you even avoiding him?”

Naruto rolled his eyes. It felt like people were going to ask him that question forever. 

“A lot’s happened. I realized that ignoring that he existed wasn’t the right solution for it.”

Sakura frowned at the strangely vague response but made no comment on it. Instead, she focused on the droplets that lingered on his hair.

“He didn’t hurt you, did he?” Ino asked as she swerved to another right.

“Of course not,” Naruto said. “Actually, _I_ might have hurt _him.”_

The two girls blinked, unable to believe that the embodiment of sunshine could ever hurt anybody.

“Are you sure? What happened?”

Naruto shrugged and leaned back with his hands behind his back. “I’m… not sure,” he said honestly.

He really wasn't sure. He felt dumb for the first time in a while. 

But then again, he wasn’t _that_ dumb. It felt like everyone was keeping secrets from him. 

What did Itachi mean when he mentioned the truth about what happened in the courtroom? Naruto wasn’t aware of there even being a truth. Shikamaru barely gave him context about Itachi, and every nerve told him to escape when he _did_ encounter the elder brother.

 _Sasuke must be really upset with me,_ Naruto thought, sinking down.

“Well, whatever it is, hopefully it gets better when you see him.”

“Which will be soon,” Ino notified him. “We’re almost there.”

Naruto nodded and looked out the window, letting his ears tune out the background noise. He let his mind drift off to the past, when things were simple.

He sighed and thought about the future. He had a game soon, and his mind had been in so many other places that basketball was a foreign subject to him now.

“I’m gonna flunk it,” he muttered under his breath.

“Hm?” Sakura asked.

“My basketball game. I’m going to be terrible.”

“Pfft, I’m sure you won’t,” Ino chirped. “You’re good enough to be the captain next season.”

Naruto chuckled and shook his head. “Not anymore. I haven’t practiced in.. a while.”

“Then you will next time we hang out,” Sakura said. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. Show us that big smile, Naruto.”

Naruto blushed in embarrassment and gave her a bashful smile. It had been a while since he truly was able to smile, partially because Sasuke wasn’t there.

At that realization, he buried his head into his sweaty hands.

“God, I can’t believe myself! He’s all I can think about.”

The girls giggled, and Sakura gave him a pat on the shoulder.

“See how different it is from a crush? That’s love.”

The flush on his face deepened at those words. It was so strange. The adoration that blossomed in his chest whenever he saw Sasuke was so different from what he felt around anyone else.

He was in _love._ For the first time. 

Naruto couldn’t hold in his excitement.

“We’re here,” said Ino.

Naruto sighed shakily and rubbed his sweaty palms down his athletic pants. He wasn’t dressed well for the occasion at all.

“Alrighty then,” he clasped his hands together. “Wish me luck.”

“You don’t need us to. You’ll be fine, Naruto!”

“You can do this! We love you!”

Naruto replied with a sunny grin and exited the car. The entrance to the manor was still a bit far, but he figured he could get there quicker if he jogged. 

He opened the umbrella and held it above his head, waving to the vehicle before running to the entrance. The path was a bit wet, but it wasn’t wet enough to slip on.

Naruto swallowed the lump in his throat, remembering what Itachi had told him. Sasuke was hurt by what Naruto had done. 

He shook his head and slapped his face three times. This wasn’t a time for him to feel discouraged. No, he should be feeling determined.

Naruto pressed on the doorbell once and bit his bottom lip. He didn’t know why he was feeling so nervous.

His heart was beating twice as fast and heavy enough for him to feel it on the surface of his skin. Maybe it was because this would be the first time he spoke to Sasuke in… a while.

“Fuck,” he breathed. “You’re Naruto Uzumaki, you don’t get nervous. Come on, get it together.”

Footsteps finally thudded on the other side of the door and Naruto inhaled.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see an unfamiliar car parked in the parking lot. It was a silverish blue, desaturated with a metallic luster. It reminded him of someone familiar, but he couldn’t place a finger on it.

He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard a shy voice from the door.

“Excuse me?”

A cute, tiny woman wearing a white blouse and black pants along with loafers was at the doorway. Naruto raised an eyebrow. Who was _she?_

“Uh, hi. Can I come in? I was wondering if I could see Sasuke.”

“Ah! Alright. You must be.. Naruto Uzumaki,” she said, looking at a clipboard. 

Naruto smiled in response. “That’s me.”

“I see. I’m Haku. I’m a bodyguard here.”

Naruto’s eyebrows rose in shock, lessening the space of his forehead. His mouth dropped slightly. But she looked so… small!

“Wow. My bad, I just thought you were..”

Haku laughed. A light, airy laugh. “A housemaid? I get that a lot.”

Naruto scratched the back of his neck and laughed along. Haku opened the door wider and let him in.

The interior was just as it had been the last he went there. It was beautiful, yet the chill was still there.

“Sasuke is on the third floor. You’ll see him once you get there.”

“Okay,” Naruto smiled at her. “Thanks, miss!”

He ran off to the elevator, leaving an amused Haku at the doorway. Next to him, Zabuza smirked and crossed his arms. 

“It never gets old.”

“Never,” Haku replied with a smile.

The elevator never ceased to amaze Naruto. Just like before, it was perfectly organized. This time he pressed on the fourth button, the third floor, rather than Sasuke’s floor.

Naruto wondered what he was doing on the third floor. Hopefully he wasn’t interrupting anything.

When he reached the third floor, all he could see was a hallway. Naruto blinked and stepped out, almost walking to the end of the first wall.

Then he heard a voice.

“Are you _crazy?_ I can’t fucking do that!”

It was Sasuke’s voice, slightly muffled due to the wall separating them. He sounded panicked, which made Naruto uneasy.

“Sasuke, it’s either that or game over. There’s evidence, lots of it. And I’m sure he has a plan.”

Kakashi’s voice. What was Kakashi doing here?

“A plan? No! If we leave it at this, nothings going to happen. Please, we can’t tell anyone. It’s bad enough that you and Shikamaru know.”

Naruto squinted and stepped forward quietly in an attempt to listen closer. He wondered what Shikamaru had to do with their conversation. 

A sigh. “You said it yourself. I was in the military and I’m connected to people in law enforcement. I _know_ what I’m doing.”

“Well, clearly you don’t know enough. Unlike you, I _care_ about Itachi. I don’t want him to get hurt.”

“I know, but what he did will eventually end up catching up to him anyway. It’s only a matter of what will hurt him _more.”_

Sasuke was silent for a moment, before he piped up again.

“So what do you want him to do? Plead insanity?”

Naruto froze. Didn't that happen in court? He leaned in closer to listen. There was no way…

“Hopefully his diagnosis could help. But there’s no guarantee-“

“There _has_ to be a guarantee! I- he can’t-“ Sasuke cut himself off, choking on his words.

“And you’re not let off the hook either, Sasuke. If you’re mentioned at all—“

“Then why are we doing this?! It was all going to go fine until you came and ruined it all.”

“You think other people wouldn’t notice?!” Kakashi snapped, effectively shutting Sasuke up. “If I, your _English teacher,_ figured it all out, how long do you think it would take for others to?”

Quiet. Naruto’s heart began to beat a little faster.

Then: “I don’t know, but—“

“Even your friends are _this close_ to figuring it out. Anyone with a brain who was there when you had that meltdown could be able to make the connection. You think people wouldn’t notice that you only began to freak out when I started to talk about the killer? The information _relating_ to the killer?”

More silence.

Naruto became anxious. They were talking about that lockdown. The day that Orochimaru was almost killed. But what did Sasuke have to do with it?

“When the suspect was identified, you fainted. Obviously it ended up being someone else, but we both know who you were thinking about.”

“...”

Naruto let his mind wander far back in time to the day that happened. It seemed like such a long time ago. 

Ah, right. Now the memories came flooding back. Images of Sasuke breaking down at the _mention_ of Itachi—

Itachi…

The suspect… When the suspect was identified?

The suspect that ended up being someone else… Kabuto…?

The truth about the courtroom incident…

“... Maybe separation is the right choice. Itachi clearly needs mental support, and so do you. Being around each other is only making it worse.“

“Shut up. You don’t understand. Itachi… he did it for my safety. I _told_ you about the evil shit that Orochimaru did.”

Naruto felt like screaming. He’d heard that before. Itachi had hinted at it. Surely Itachi hadn’t.. killed anyone for Sasuke’s safety. Right?

 _“You would have been worthy if you were willing to do_ _anything_ _for the person you loved. Just because he makes you feel a certain way does not mean you can have him. You must be devoted to keeping him safe, regardless of how it makes you feel.”_

Anything. Did that include breaking laws to Itachi?

_“If it comes to his well-being, isn’t that a small price to pay?”_

Naruto was horror stricken. This couldn’t be happening. And Shikamaru _knew_ about this?

He didn’t even want to imagine what Orochimaru had done to cause it.

Suddenly his legs began to move, but they were out of his control. He desperately willed them to stop, but they wouldn’t listen. He walked to the end of the hallway and cleared his throat.

Naruto didn’t pay attention to how Sasuke’s head turned much too fast in alarm, or how Kakashi tensed in his seat across from the Uchiha.

“Don’t ask how much I’ve heard,” Naruto said gravely. “It was enough to make me wish I never listened.”

Sasuke’s lips were apart in shock, and his eyes were almost wide enough to split open.

“You were… eavesdropping.”

“Who wouldn’t have? Once you started talking about… _laws_ and _insanity cases,_ me not eavesdropping was out of the question.”

“Why would you do that?” Sasuke demanded, standing up.

Kakashi grabbed Sasuke’s arm before he could move, causing Naruto to wonder what would have happened if he _did_ move.

The room seemed to be a living room of sorts. There were couches, a small table, a fireplace and a TV along with gorgeous decorations around the interior. 

The beauty did not match the ugliness of the atmosphere.

“I ran into him earlier. Itachi,” Naruto stated flatly. He ignored the way Sasuke tensed under Kakashi’s hand.

“Did he do anything?” Kakashi asked calmly.

“Not physical, no.” Naruto answered. “But he tried to get me not to come here.”

“Why?” Sasuke asked.

“For your safety,” he replied. Sasuke’s look of confusion was enough to confirm Naruto’s suspicions.

“Why would I need to be safe from you?” _Isn’t it supposed to be the opposite?_

“That’s what I asked, and he started going on about how I hurt you and that he was concerned for your well-being.”

Sasuke’s face was contorted even more in confusion. “You didn’t hurt me.”

“I…” Naruto began, but he stopped himself. He felt kind of strange having to confess in front of Kakashi, but he seemed to know everything already so he guessed it would be okay.

“Maybe I didn’t. But I probably did, and I want to apologize. You see…”

While he thought of a way to explain, Sasuke gently took his wrist in his pale hand and led him to the couch. Kakashi sat on the other side while Sasuke sat beside him, only a couple of inches away. Naruto’s heartbeat quickened slightly at Sasuke’s closeness. Sasuke still hadn’t removed his hand from Naruto’s wrist.

“When you were unconscious in the car that day, y’know, after lunch at your family’s place, I was kind of… confronted by your brother.”

Sasuke’s grip tightened on his wrist, but it was not tight enough to hurt. At least not yet.

“Well, uh, he kind of… discouraged me from…” He cut himself off again. It was getting weirder to say these things around Kakashi, their _teacher,_ and it was the first time he’d be saying this to Sasuke.

“Kakashi, get out,” Sasuke ordered sharply.

While chuckling lightly, Kakashi stood. “Alright. Let me know when you two are finished,” he said the last word with a wink.

Naruto blushed, the skin on his cheeks turning a deep red. Sasuke scowled at the man, but his own ears betrayed him. Kakashi walked to an area out of sight, leaving the two teens beside each other.

Sasuke didn’t move. In fact, he only got closer. Their arms and knees were now touching, and Sasuke’s face was only a few inches from Naruto’s own.

“Um…” Naruto said, realizing his throat felt kind of dry. He swallowed thickly at the feeling.

“Discouraged you from what?” Sasuke asked. Naruto pondered what that knowing look was all about. It was as if the raven already knew the answer.

“From…” Naruto sighed, deciding to rip the bandaid off.

“From asking you out,” he mumbled.

“What was that? I couldn’t quite hear you,” Sasuke said, smirking.

Naruto sat there for a moment, his eyebrow twitching. There was something familiar about that sentence, and Sasuke looked amused with himself, as if he’d been waiting to say that. 

“I _said-_ …I said,” a long pause. “He tried to discourage me from asking you out.”

Even though Sasuke already knew the answer, that didn’t stop a light flush from blossoming on his cheeks. They were a stark contrast from his almost white skin. To hear Naruto say that, and not his friends… was exhilarating.

Suddenly he felt like he was too close to Naruto. Sasuke’s heart was beating fast, and he could tell Naruto’s was too. They sat there in silence for a moment before Sasuke sighed.

They still needed to acknowledge Itachi’s involvement. _Then_ they could talk about this properly.

Sasuke smiled anyway, to reassure Naruto that the feeling was reciprocated. Naruto gulped again, not daring to move a centimeter away from the Uchiha.

“Shikamaru told me the same thing,” Sasuke finally said, breaking the silence. “He said he was the one keeping you away from me. That’s why I wasn’t so hurt.”

Naruto’s mouth opened, not hiding his surprise. “So you knew?”

Sasuke nodded. “We’ve been trying to solve the issue with.. Itachi for some time now. Honestly, I did feel a bit sad when you stopped sitting with me, and… talking to me, and…” he trailed off, squeezing Naruto’s wrist softly. 

No wonder Sasuke was being so touchy with Naruto.

“I missed you,” Sasuke concluded, as if it was difficult to come to terms with it.

“I’m sorry, Sasuke. I’ve missed you too. That’s why I came here, I couldn’t be away from you any longer,” Naruto admitted. “The past couple of weeks have been crazy, and it felt worse because you weren’t there.”

Sasuke nodded, and sighed. “Yeah. Everyone’s been tense about it. And, well..”

Sasuke became quiet again. It seemed the subject of Itachi made him insecure, and Naruto wished he could help in some way. He shifted in his seat, sitting a bit closer to the Uchiha.

“Itachi told me to tell you something,” Naruto said. “He wants you to tell me the truth. About, uh, the Konoha District Court incident.”

Suddenly Sasuke flinched, dropping Naruto’s wrist like it had burnt him. Naruto winced in response at how Sasuke took that statement. 

Sasuke’s eyes were wide and glassy as his hands began to tremble. “Itachi told you that?” He asked, the pitch of his voice going up an octave.

Naruto nodded, reaching out to Sasuke’s arm in an attempt to soothe him. “Yeah. And that it was up to you if you wanted to tell me about anything else.”

Sasuke was still eyeing Naruto in shock and.. fear? He could not believe that Itachi had said that. Naruto was curious as to why Sasuke was reacting like this.

“You don’t have to, of course,” Naruto reminded him.

Sasuke nodded and took a deep breath. “I know.. but I just don’t understand why he’d…”

Did Itachi not care? The amount of people that knew were starting to increase, almost out of Sasuke’s control. This was bad, really bad.

He was in a position where he had to question Naruto’s trust. Naruto sat beside him, warm and inviting, but his eyebrows were slanted in worry. 

Sasuke didn’t want him to worry, but he was afraid of how he’d react. But Itachi wanted Sasuke to tell him, so… 

“Please don’t take this the wrong way,” Sasuke said, eliciting a nod from the blond.

Sasuke sighed and sat upright in his seat, facing the person he loved. This was it, things were either going to go amazingly or terribly wrong.

His mind drifted back to that day. He could barely remember much of what he saw, but he knew exactly what happened. Sometimes he’d remember the mangled bodies that were splayed across the marble floors, the blood soaking through their shirts and discoloring the glassy beige below them. Other times he’d remember their faces, faces of people old, young, even children his age. Those children had long lives ahead of them, they didn’t deserve what had happened.

Sasuke broke. 

He told Naruto _everything._ He tried not to look at Naruto’s face when he continued to go in detail. Sasuke confessed his silence, Shikamaru’s silence, Itachi’s silence. He could barely take a breath in between of his long sentences.

Sometimes the volume of his voice raised higher than he’d expected it to raise, sometimes lower. He harped on and on about Orochimaru. Mentioning the experiments caused Naruto to shudder. Sasuke even told Naruto about the sickening pictures that Itachi had shown him.

When he finished his tangent, Sasuke realized that he was out of breath. He avoided Naruto’s heavy gaze and focused on calming down. He was still shaking in disbelief at the fact that Itachi didn’t mind.

For some reason, Itachi being so careless caused a knot to form in the pit of Sasuke’s stomach. There was something so odd, so alien about it. Itachi was never this inadvertent.

Sasuke’s nightmare resurfaced in his head. Surely Itachi wouldn’t harm Naruto, right?

He only realized he couldn’t see Naruto when he felt a warm hand on his own cold one. It grasped it tightly, trying to transfer its own heat onto his. Sasuke looked up to see Naruto, who, after a long second of hesitance, pulled Sasuke close and wrapped his arms around him. Sasuke could smell his cologne along with the fresh scent of rain and saltiness that lingered from his stay at Ichiraku’s. 

“You can cry,” Naruto said, stunning Sasuke who lowered his head, burying his face into the crook of Naruto’s neck.

Sasuke ignored the lump in his throat and shook his head, evoking a laugh out of Naruto.

“You stubborn bastard,” Naruto said before pulling away and pressing his forehead onto Sasuke’s, their hair strikingly distinct from each other. Both parties were red in the ears now, and it seemed like their lips were about to touch until…

“I’m still here, y’know,” Kakashi interjected.

Sasuke growled and threw a heavy pillow in Kakashi’s direction. Kakashi let it fall on the floor next to him and snorted. 

“I leave you two for a second and all of a sudden you’re all over each other. How scandalous.”

“Shut _up,_ Kakashi. Why don’t you tell us about _your_ boyfriend. Iruka.”

“Ahaha, well,” Kakashi scratched the back of his head with a nervous laugh.

 _“Iruka?_ Iruka Sensei? Iruka Umino?!” Naruto asked.

Sasuke whipped his head towards Naruto and Kakashi nodded. “Yep, that’s him.”

“Kakashi Sensei’s dating _Iruka Sensei?_ How did I not know about this?!” Naruto exclaimed. Kakashi shrugged.

“You were busy acknowledging your love for Sasuke.”

“Kakashi!” Sasuke yelled.

Naruto was beet red in embarrassment and so was Sasuke, who sat back down and crossed his arms. Still, Naruto smiled nonetheless. Sasuke wasn’t as upset as he was before.

And Naruto… didn’t know what to think.

Kakashi sat across from them. Sasuke seemed to return to his shaking. Naruto was conflicted.

So it was Itachi who aided Obito Uchiha. Perhaps it was blackmail? He didn’t know. And Orochimaru had been killed for Sasuke’s safety. His heart began to beat a bit quicker. When Itachi thought of Naruto as a threat, was he truly planning to harm him?

“So, are you two an item now?”

They both went rigid next to each other. 

Well, were they?

Both boys looked at each other at the same time. Sasuke’s face was nervous and unsure and Naruto did not want to know what his own face looked like. If the stony Uchiha could look so nervous, Naruto probably looked terrified.

“Uh, well…”

“I… um…”

“Teenagers are clueless,” Kakashi sighed. “When you’re adults, I recommend Icha Icha Paradise. It’s like a guidebook for this type of thing.”

“Stop recommending us porn,” Sasuke hissed. Naruto snorted, remembering that orange book that Kakashi always seemed to hold in his hand.

“So.. what now? How many people know about this?” Naruto asked.

Sasuke inhaled and exhaled slowly, calming down at Naruto’s lack of reaction. “I know, Kakashi knows, Shikamaru knows, and you know. At least, that’s only who I’ve told. There could be others out there. And of course, Itachi knows.”

Naruto nodded and crossed his arms, pursing his lips. “What’s the plan?”

Sasuke’s breath hitched, and Kakashi closed his visible eye.

“We’re still debating it. My idea is that Itachi should be turned in while it’s not too late.”

Sasuke bit his tongue before he could reply. He wanted to hear what Naruto would say.

“So that’s why you mentioned the insanity plea earlier.”

“Yes,” said Kakashi. “He’s had previous.. circumstances that could help prove that he went through a bout of insanity.”

“Can't we just leave it as it is? I don’t see why nii-san has to go to court,” Sasuke protested.

“Nii-san? It’s been a while since you called him that, Sasuke,” Kakashi pointed out.

Sasuke almost choked on his tongue. He didn’t know how _that_ managed to slip out.

“And Sasuke, I told you already. Shikaku Nara is an excellent detective. He’s going to figure it out at some point.”

Naruto listened to their conversation a bit more before he finally felt something click in his head. Suddenly he felt strange, a nauseating and painful feeling swirling inside him.

“Don’t you think it’s strange? Why would Itachi work so hard to not get caught only to let me find out what happened?”

The other two stopped and looked at him.

“Naruto… what exactly did he say to you?”

Naruto breathed in. It was a lot to explain, so he decided to condense it.

“He said he understood what I was saying, and that I won. Before that he kind of got defensive over why he was so overprotective of Sasuke. He kind of looked like he was… crying.”

Sasuke huffed. “It was probably just the rain. Itachi doesn’t cry.”

“Was he heading anywhere in particular?” Kakashi asked.

“I don’t know. He walked away before I could say anything back.”

“I see,” Kakashi said. There was no tone in his voice. “How was Shikamaru today?”

Sasuke felt his blood go cold. Images of his nightmare resurfaced, images he truly did not want to see.

_“I’m dead,” Orochimaru hissed. “And so is he.”_

_Sasuke turned his head to the left only to see the label beside the door. The last thing he heard was the sound of flatlining. The last thing he saw was the name Shikamaru Nara written on it with blood._

Suddenly a violent wave of nausea struck him, causing bile to rise up in his throat. Sasuke brought his hand up to slap above his mouth and stood abruptly. Instantly the others were on him, leading him to the nearest restroom.

Sasuke pushed them off and slammed the door shut. He was just in time, emptying the contents of his stomach at the right moment and hovering over the toilet bowl. 

Naruto and Kakashi were startled by the abruptness of it all. Naruto winced at the sound of gagging and choking from the other side of the door.

“Sasuke, are you okay?” He called.

“Fine—“ a cough. “Call Shikamaru.”

Naruto’s eyes widened in horror as he reached in his pocket to dial Shikamaru’s number. 

If Shikamaru knew.. that could mean…

_“Naruto? What’s up?”_

Naruto sighed in relief. “Hey, Shika. I’m good. How are things going right now?”

A pregnant pause. _“Fine, but I’m busy right now. Sorry.”_

“Wai-“

Beep.

“Well, that answers my question. Sasuke, he’s okay,” Naruto called.

Water was running in the bathroom now, meaning that Sasuke was now getting cleaned up. Naruto was starting to worry even more about Sasuke’s health. How long had this been going on?

“A while,” Kakashi said.

Huh? Did he say that out loud? How did Kakashi hear me?

“Yes, you said it out loud,” Kakashi said. “I can’t believe you have to deal with this. You’re only kids, for Kami’s sake.”

Naruto shrugged, and the door opened. Sasuke walked out looking pallid, almost sheet-white. Naruto took his hand in his own and squeezed. Hopefully Sasuke could get warmer that way.

“Sorry about that,” Sasuke said gruffly.

“Don’t worry about that. Right now I’m going to find Itachi,” Kakashi announced.

The two boys hastily turned to look at Kakashi in surprise. Naruto almost cried out in pain when he felt the whiplash at full force.

“I said don’t worry. I’m not going to turn him in or get close. I’m just going to figure out where he is.”

“How?” Naruto asked.

“I happen to know one of his personal bodyguards.”

“Yamato?” Sasuke asked.

“No, Anko. Yamato is my friend in the police force,” Kakashi reminded him.

The three of them ended up agreeing to the short term plan and went downstairs. Kakashi mentioned something about visiting a friend, which often meant the cemetery. He went out from a different door, the one closer to the parking lot.

Naruto and Sasuke were now alone.

“So…”

“Naruto!”

Mikoto walked excitedly over to him, her shiny black heels tapping on the marble floor. The floor was clean and spotless, now that he noticed it.

“Hey, mom.”

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at that, but the other two paid it no mind.

“It’s so good to see you, Naruto. How are you?” She asked in her sweet, calming voice, placing her hand on his shoulder.

“I’m great, thanks. What about you?”

“I’ve been wonderful. How is your family?”

“My family’s doing well. A little protective cause of what’s been going on, though.”

“I completely understand. We’ve actually whitelisted our visitors. How is your father? I hope he’s recovering well.”

“My dad’s doing great, actually! He’s working at home now, like the workaholic he is,” Naruto joked. “I’m honored to be in your whitelist.” He was kind of surprised at how Mikoto could communicate so easily, unlike the rest of her family.

“Ah, workaholics. They’re the _worst,_ though I suppose it makes so sense if I say it since I married one,” she laughed. “Well, I won’t keep you two busy. I’m sure you have a lot to do together.” She said softly, winking.

Sasuke blinked. Did he see that just now? Mikoto walked over to Sasuke and gave him a tight hug, doing the same with Naruto afterwards. She smelled flowery, with a touch of fruit and sugar.

The last time she'd hugged him like that was before Christmas. Itachi had kept their parents away from him since the entire ordeal that had gone down.

“I love what you two did with your outfits. Blue and orange are complementary colors, and you two complement each other well,” she pointed out.

Naruto looked down at his orange sweater and then at Sasuke’s blue t-shirt. Huh, she was right. Hold on, they _complemented_ each other? Wasn’t Sasuke’s family against homosexuality? 

“Mom?” Sasuke asked when her gaze lingered over the two of them for longer than it should have.

She snapped out of her trance immediately and straightened up, smiling warmly. The light above them reflected in her eyes as tears shone at her waterline. “I’m proud of you two. Continue what you’re doing, alright?” Mikoto asked, with pure joy emanating beautifully on her face. 

Both Sasuke and Naruto watched in astonishment as she walked away. Surely they weren’t overreacting. Sasuke’s mom was in support of them.

“That just made my day,” Naruto whispered.

“If I wasn’t freaking out about what else is happening, I’d be jumping in happiness right now,” Sasuke admitted.

“Then don’t freak out,” Naruto said, rotating Sasuke so that they faced each other. “Let’s go somewhere. I missed you.”

Sasuke gave him a small, genuine smile in response. “I missed you too. Let’s go.”

Naruto nodded, following Sasuke to the entrance where Haku and Zabuza stood. Sasuke grabbed his jacket and layered it above his shirt. Zabuza opened the door for them to leave.

Sasuke was the first to leave, and Naruto followed. Before he completely exited, he grinned at Haku.

“Bye, miss!”

“Bye,” Haku replied, with a smirk. “And by the way…”

Naruto stopped and blinked, tilting his head at Haku. Behind him, Sasuke snorted.

“I’m a man.”

The door shut behind him and Naruto felt mortified. Sasuke began to laugh behind him, the melodic sound slowly inching Naruto away from his horror.

That was truly a moment to remember.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder if anyone spotted the little references from earlier chapters in this chapter... It was from a lot of chapters ago, so I get it if people don't lmoajfshk. Writing about Naruto messing up Haku's gender was very enjoyable, and now Sasuke and Naruto's relationship is beginning to blossom. I'm considering a storyline for a possible sequel, since I just love this story so much. Right now they're in junior year, which means the year after that will be senior year. Should I write a story after this one about their lives in senior year? I guess we'll see once this one is completed. (P.S: Don't forget about Kabuto, and a certain man who's currently in the hospital.)


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You liar! The reason we’re all here right now is because you cared! After the shooting you took me here, didn’t you? You took me here because you cared.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're almost at the end... Wow, I never thought I'd end up finishing this story, but here I am. I just want to thank you guys for reading and leaving overwhelmingly kind comments! Every time I read them my day is made. <3

“I worry for your mental health sometimes, Itachi,” was all Kisame said as Itachi continued to jot words down onto paper.

“It’s a safety premeasure,” Itachi simply stated.

“So what, you’re worried you’ll get caught?”

“They may know it was me, but they will not be able to find me before it’s too late,” he said.

Kisame crossed his bulky arms and scrutinized Itachi for a moment. The Uchiha was acting a bit strange.

Kisame Hoskigaki was Itachi’s self proclaimed best friend. They had been friends since middle school, back when Kisame was nothing more than a delinquent and Itachi was the student council president.

They confided in each other greatly. They knew each other’s deepest, darkest secrets and did not judge each other for them. 

“Too late? What are you going to do?”

Itachi continued to write. Quickly, but mechanically. Kisame eyed him in concern, walking over to Itachi.

“You’re not considering running away, are you?”

“Of course not,” Itachi replied smoothly. “There’s no point in that.”

Kisame hummed deeply in response. Both men knew that in Itachi’s eyes, there was only one desirable outcome. Living as a runaway was not his goal.

“Then what are you going to do?” Kisame asked.

Itachi did not answer. Instead, he signed his name at the bottom and folded the paper neatly. He stood up and walked over to the nearest drawer, where he took a black envelope, inserted the paper and sealed it with red wax.

Kisame’s small, round eyes followed the calm individual who took the envelope and pushed it inside of a suitcase. _Such a shame,_ he thought. _A young man like him wasting the rest of his life on something he can’t achieve._

Kisame’s apartment was small in comparison to the large mansion that belonged to the Akatsuki. He himself chose not to live with them due to his own personal life, one that intermingled with crime and would ultimately put his loved ones in danger.

Luckily for him, Kisame didn’t have any loved ones. Itachi was the only person he considered a good friend, and he was glad to help the man out whenever he needed it.

“I’ll be on my way now,” Itachi said emotionlessly. “Take care.”

Kisame raised an eyebrow in confusion before staring gravely at the college student. “I’m concerned for you. Is this really the best thing to do?”

Itachi stood, his hand on the door knob. “Apparently so. I don’t see a point in continuing with this charade if it’ll lead nowhere.”

Kisame sighed at the pessimistic statement and approached Itachi from behind. 

“You’ve got parents, and a little brother. A future in business. You’ve got your friends, money, and genius. You’re set for life.”

“I also have a disease,” Itachi replied flatly. “One that does not allow me to enjoy any of that. If you’d like, I could send you the PIN to my safe. There’s physical money I prepared for emergencies.”

Kisame watched Itachi sternly. The man was acting recklessly. That could only mean one thing.

“You’re planning on killing yourself.”

Itachi sighed, closing his eyes. Kisame could only see his back, but he noticed the way Itachi’s shoulders seemed to relax.

“Yes,” was the monotonous reply. “Do not stop me.”

“I’m not stupid enough to,” Kisame said. He knew better than to argue with someone that always got his way. 

Except for this time, of course.

“Then I’m off.” Itachi turned the knob and Kisame only watched, barely realizing that this was probably going to be the last time he ever saw Itachi in real time.

“Can’t you tell your family the truth?” He asked, stopping Itachi once more.

Itachi merely shook his head, becoming a bit irritated at the delay. “That wouldn’t do.”

“Sasuke’s going to be devastated.”

“He’ll get over it.”

“...” Kisame decided to give up. Attempting to coax Itachi wasn’t going to do any good. “Alright. It was nice knowing you, ‘tachi.”

“Likewise,” Itachi responded.

Kisame wasn’t able to see his face one last time before the door was shut. He rubbed his bluish face up and down with his right hand and turned back to sit on his couch.

“Damn,” he finally muttered. “I didn’t ask him for the PIN.”

But he knew deep down that saying that was just to disguise the sorrow he truly felt for the loss of his best friend.

* * *

“I don’t think I’m ever going to be able to recover from that,” Naruto confessed as they sat in the back seats of Izumo’s car.

“I got it wrong the first time too,” Sasuke said, smirking. “But I’ll have to say, that was pretty funny.”

“Shut up, asshole!” Naruto groaned, burying his face in his hands. “I can’t believe that even happened.”

Izumo huffed a laugh and started the car, allowing them to exit through the driveway. This time, the scent seemed to be earthier, like trees. Naruto sniffed a couple times before taking a guess.

“Let me guess, the scent today is pine?”

 _“Royal_ Pine,” Izumo corrected. “But hey, you were super close. I approve of you, kid.”

Naruto beamed. First Mikoto, and now Izumo. They were making progress!

“Approve, as in… approve?” Sasuke asked, making sure he understood correctly.

Izumo paused for a moment. His dark eyes drifted over to glance at the two boys from the rearview mirror. Naruto watched as his eyes went from narrow and confused to wider and comprehending.

Izumo’s lips curved upwards in a smile. “Of course.”

Both juniors sighed and relaxed in their seats. Naruto’s hand made its way to Sasuke’s, giving it a little flick in excitement. Sasuke’s eyes twinkled as he returned the gesture.

“Was that a serious question?” Izumo asked, gaining their attention again.

“Well, yeah,” Sasuke answered. “Have you _seen_ my family?”

Izumo chuckled. “I get that. I was pretty nervous to tell mine too.”

Naruto and Sasuke sat there for some time, processing his answer. Naruto was the first to react, his mouth slowly opening. Sasuke blinked.

“You’re _gay?”_ Sasuke asked incredulously.

“Pansexual,” Izumo corrected. “But I told my parents I was gay since that was the only way they could understand without getting confused. 

Naruto nodded. Sometimes it was difficult for parents, especially ones of previous generations, to make sense of things they didn’t think they’d ever come to terms with.

“That’s cool, mister Izumo! Are you currently with anyone?” Naruto inquired.

“Uh-huh,” Izumo said, pulling his wallet out of his pocket and tossing it over to the other two. The blond caught it first. “Open it, there’s a picture of us in there.”

Naruto opened the leather wallet to find a couple of cards and some cash next to a colorful picture. There was a label below it with the date it was taken, and above was a picture of two men in front of a large, bright ferris wheel.

He squinted to see their faces for a moment, feeling his jaw drop once more once he realized who was in the picture.

“Kotetsu?!”

Naruto couldn’t believe his eyes. Both of their drivers were dating each other?!

“Yep,” Izumo smiled, catching the wallet after Sasuke threw it back. “I’m surprised it took this long for you two to find out.”

Sasuke made a _tch_ noise and sat back while Naruto let his head fall and rest on Sasuke’s shoulder. Izumo watched as Sasuke’s ears reddened and snorted, shaking his head.

“We’re almost there, boys. Don’t get too comfortable.”

“Yeah, yeah, we know,” Sasuke muttered. He was starting to relax as well at Naruto’s touch, his warmness radiating towards the Uchiha.

The car ride was not long; they reached the outskirts of the city in no time. Naruto and Sasuke waved and said their goodbyes to Izumo and stepped out of the black car. Izumo drove off, leaving the two teens to themselves. 

Naruto suddenly felt a rush of excitement at the fact that they were now alone. He was still in shock from all of the information he received from Sasuke, but right now he wanted to make this day about _them._

Without warning, Sasuke grabbed Naruto’s hand and led him towards the dark stone path that Naruto had seen once before.

Naruto grinned. The weather was clearer this time, so they wouldn’t have to deal with the rain like before.

Sasuke’s head rotated to catch a glimpse of Naruto, earning a foxy smile from the blond. Sasuke’s eyes curved upwards, his skin crinkling at the foreign expression.

The bridge hadn’t budged since the last time they were there, the beginning of the year. Naruto realized how little the time they’d actually spent together was. It felt like they had known each other for ages.

“This time you aren’t going to try stopping me, right?” Sasuke teased.

“Well, I might— for old times’ sake,” the blond joked.

“Pff, old times? It’s only been a couple of months.”

Naruto shrugged and skipped in Sasuke’s direction, hugging him around the waist. Sasuke’s ears flushed once again as he attempted to decrease his heart rate.

“Do I get to carry you again this time?”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “That was a one time thing. I need to get some exercise.”

Naruto pouted for a long second as he let go of Sasuke, allowing Sasuke to lead him to the bridge. The trees nearby had a bit of a cherry tint, meaning that spring was coming soon. 

“Are you excited?” Sasuke asked.

“I’m exhilarated,” Naruto replied, spinning around like a child. 

“Using big boy words, eh?” Was the tease he got in response.

Naruto scoffed in faux hurt and gave Sasuke a playful punch on the arm. “Asshole! I’m not _that_ dumb.”

“And you still call me names,” Sasuke smirked. “Dunce.”

They continued the name-calling, or mating calls according to Suigetsu, for the next couple of minutes before they finally reached the bridge. It was still small, but the railroads were as frightening as ever. Naruto sucked in a cold breath and followed Sasuke, who took nimble steps in the snow.

Taking their respective seats on the small, wooden protrusions that stuck out at the sides, they sat almost huddled together in the cold.

“The train doesn’t come in…” Sasuke poked his head out to squint at the bright monitor that displayed the schedule. “Four minutes.”

Naruto nodded, hugging his knees and leaning onto Sasuke once again. Both parties were equally lovestruck, waiting for the right moment. Sasuke scooted an inch closer, looking away to hide the incoming redness.

“What? Is your thin skin showing your blood vessels too much?” Naruto asked, smiling smugly.

“You’re evil,” Sasuke muttered, continuing to look away.

Naruto laughed and pulled Sasuke back by the collar. Seeing him act shy like that was enough to make his own heart swell. 

“You’re the evil one. Do you know what you do to me?” Naruto asked truthfully.

Sasuke stared at Naruto, gulping thickly. He couldn’t believe this was happening. This was real.

When the two of them were face to face, sapphire blue and inky black gazing at each other, a new desperation spread in Naruto’s chest. He _needed_ to do something. Sasuke’s lips were slightly chapped, but they were full and pink and overwhelmingly inviting. 

Sasuke noticed the way Naruto’s eyes lingered on his own lips and only gazed at him, captivated at the fact that _he_ caused Naruto’s transfixion. He swallowed at the sight of Naruto’s lips. They weren’t chapped; he obviously had his priorities set straight and put on chapstick. 

It was only a matter of who made the first move now. They were both more than ready, but they were also both shy. Sasuke barely even knew how to kiss.

His heart was pounding and his hands were sweaty, but that wasn’t enough to stop him from suddenly inhaling and holding Naruto’s chin, pulling the blond close enough until their lips were almost touching.

“I’m glad Kakashi made us sit together that day,” Sasuke whispered.

“So am I,” Naruto admitted. “I can’t believe I was so against it.”

“Me too. But it worked out well anyways,” Sasuke said, his grip on Naruto’s jaw weakening.

Naruto took that as an invite and leaned in. The sound of an engine and wheels on tracks were mute to his ears. Was the train above them? He didn’t know nor did he bring himself to care.

The kiss began with a shy brush to the lips; neither of them knew what they were doing. Then it became real. All of Naruto’s thoughts were gone, replaced with Sasuke as he pressed himself closer with more confidence than before.

Sasuke’s eyes were wide open, but Naruto’s aura was intoxicatingly calm, causing him to relax. He breathed in deeply through the kiss and returned the gesture. 

He couldn’t stop his lips from quirking upward at the corners once Naruto swiped a tongue between his lips. 

“I’m not that experienced yet,” Sasuke confessed.

“Let me teach you, then,” Naruto said as he intertwined his fingers with Sasuke’s, tan and pale, warm and cool. Sasuke closed his eyes once again and hummed deeply in agreement, the vibrations reverberating against Naruto’s skin.

The flutter only intensified from there. His lips were warm and soft, only igniting Sasuke's desire to continue further. Sasuke’s own lips parted slightly, an invitation for Naruto to continue. Peach fingers carded through black hair while Sasuke’s hand rested on Naruto’s cheek.

The smell of Naruto’s cologne, of the sharp, natural scent of pine, was dizzying, causing butterflies to dance in Sasuke’s stomach. It was a feeling he knew he’d remember for the rest of his life. 

The train passed, and this time there were no tears. Naruto pulled away, smiling. Sasuke’s eyelashes flitted downwards as he let his gaze be occupied by something else. His cheeks betrayed his attempt at acting nonchalant, however, as they were painted a rosy pink.

The younger of the two suddenly broke out into a sunny grin and rotated Sasuke so that they saw each other’s faces again. He was blushing just as much as Sasuke, but his smile instantly dropped once he saw the corners of the Uchiha’s eyes.

“What? Why’re you crying, teme?”

Sasuke shook his head and looked down. “I’m not crying.”

“Yes you are,” Naruto frowned. What had he done wrong? “Your eyes are wet.”

“I’m _happy,”_ was the emotional response he received afterwards. Sasuke peered upwards to see how Naruto reacted.

Naruto’s wide smile was back as he wrapped his toned arms around Sasuke. This was a dream come true to him. Nothing that was going on could change this moment.

“I’m happy too,” Naruto murmured, nuzzling Sasuke’s shoulder. “At least now we have a clear answer for Kakashi.”

Sasuke nodded and wrapped his arms around Naruto as well. As they continued to hug, the sky behind them darkened, fading into a beautiful shade of blue with hints of purple and pink. Sasuke was entranced in its reflection on Naruto’s eyes. “The train passed. Let’s go somewhere special.”

“More special than this place?” Naruto asked, standing up. He then pulled Sasuke up, who shrugged and fumbled with the bottom of his sweater.

“Somewhere better than a railroad.”

Naruto snorted and agreed. The two of them walked out, hand in hand, and admired the view. There was something alluring about the sky that made Naruto’s eyes dawdle. For a moment he didn’t even notice that Sasuke moved from his right to behind him.

He spun around only to see Sasuke squinting at the rails in front of the bridge. Someone was standing there, wearing a dark grey overcoat and black pants. It was definitely a man, but Sasuke was more focused on _why_ he was standing there. 

The man placed his suitcase on the floor and pulled out a small bag. It was white and gauzy, but not transparent enough to expose its contents. 

Then they heard the rumble.

“The next train’s coming,” Naruto mumbled. “What the hell is that guy going to do?”

Sasuke bit his bottom lip. It was obvious, but he still didn’t move. Maybe they were wrong. They were wrong, right? They had to be.

The sound only got louder and louder, and the man didn’t budge. He threw a couple of items onto the tracks-- a big no-no, and stood behind a nearby tree. Sasuke felt his heart lodge onto his throat. He was hiding behind the tree so that he’d be out of the conductor’s line of sight.

“Fuck, he’s going to do it,” Naruto breathed, getting ready to run.

“Naruto--” Sasuke began, about to turn to Naruto. He felt the wind get knocked out of him when he caught sight of the man’s face.

Naruto didn’t miss it either, because he bolted as fast as he could. Sasuke ran after him, screaming Itachi’s name as loud as he could. He couldn’t hear himself over the train that was quickly approaching.

“Itachi!”

Itachi turned to face the two boys that were running full speed in his direction. He clicked his tongue in irritation, as if they were only nuisances to him. Of course Naruto and Sasuke were going to do the honors _there._

Naruto reached Itachi first, with Sasuke reaching them a good fifteen seconds after. Naruto seized hold of Itachi’s arm tightly, glaring at him.  
“What were you planning to do?!”

Sasuke was wheezing slightly, clutching at his abdomen and letting his gaze dig into Itachi with a wide eyed stare.

Itachi didn’t react like a regular person would. Instead, he gave Naruto an uninterested look of distaste. “Admiring the view.”

“Bullshit! Stop being a coward and get away from the tracks,” Naruto yelled.

With narrow eyes, Itachi pondered it for a moment before deciding to humor him. He stepped back and faced the two teenagers. Sasuke finally caught his breath and allowed everything to sink in.

“Itachi, you weren’t trying to…” he trailed off, unable to finish.

“And if I was?” Itachi asked insouciantly, as if it was nothing to be concerned about.

 _“No!_ Why?!” Sasuke demanded. After all they went through…

“Why not? It’s the most advantageous thing to do,” Itachi simply answered.

Sasuke desperately shook his head and grabbed Itachi by the forearm. Itachi’s upper lip curled slightly in annoyance. This wasn’t going how he’d planned at all.

“No, it isn’t. Aniki, you can’t be serious-”

“Aniki?” Itachi mocked. “It’s been years since you called me that. It would have worked if-”

“Not everything has to be a plot against you!” Sasuke shouted. 

Naruto took their argument as an opportunity to make his way to the leather suitcase. He picked it up and walked away from the tracks, which were still vibrating from the train that just passed by.

“Shouldn’t you be on your way home at this time? Curfew is seven.”

“Shut up! Is this about your future? Are you doing this because you don’t want to go to prison?”

“No. Congratulations, by the way. You and Naruto make a wonderful-”

“Stop trying to downplay this,” Sasuke said through gritted teeth.

“I’m not trying to downplay anything, you’re just making it more dramatic than it needs to be.”

Without looking at Itachi’s emotionless face, Naruto could tell by the tone of his voice that he was becoming agitated. 

_“Falling apart..? Why?”_

Naruto knew it now. Itachi had been so focused on Sasuke’s physical safety that he became unaware of how the boy really was inside. It kind of reminded the blond of his father. Both men were blinded in their own way.

Obviously, Itachi took it way harder than Minato. If feeling like he failed Sasuke meant he was going to give everything up, Naruto wondered where the rest of his family stood in Itachi’s point of view.

The suitcase was locked, much to his annoyance, but Naruto kept it close just in case. After all, there was a chance Itachi had a back up plan.

Itachi wasn’t going to budge, Naruto concluded. _Should I call Kakashi?_ He glanced down at his pocket, where his phone rested.

 _“You’re_ the one that’s being dramatic. You have everything! Why are you doing this?”

“Not everything,” Itachi finally confessed.

Both boys quieted at his statement. Naruto knew exactly what the answer was.

Fuel for his _obsession._

Because that was what it was. An obsession. Itachi was obsessed with the image of having a perfect relationship with his brother. One with only ups and not downs. He _wanted_ Sasuke to idolize him, feel protected by him, _hate_ people who opposed him. 

Itachi despised people like Naruto, and he wanted Sasuke to do the same. But instead, Sasuke fell in love. Itachi began to hate unpredictability, building his way up in order to be trusted by Naruto until the trust began to diminish. Orochimaru was another threat, but was killing him really necessary?

“Then what? What do you want? I can help. I mean, I can try-”

“If what I wanted was pursuable, I wouldn’t have felt the need to do this,” Itachi interrupted him sternly.

Sasuke opened his mouth to answer, but it was Naruto that spoke next.

“You’ll never be able to get what you want.”

The younger Uchiha froze in disbelief. He couldn’t believe that Naruto had actually said that. He tried to speak once more, but he cut himself off when Naruto went on.

“But there’s something better you could work for,” he said, a careful yet genuine smile playing on his lips.

Sasuke blinked at the vagueness of that statement, wondering how much Naruto really knew. Itachi only raised a thin eyebrow.

“Is that so? Or are you saying that because I’m your boyfriend’s brother, and you don’t want him to be upset after I die?”

Naruto’s eye twitched. “Well, of course I don’t want Sasuke to be sad. That’s the last thing I’d want, ever. And I know that it’s the same for you, too. But I thought about it, and there _is_ a way.”

Sasuke nodded, even though he understood nothing. “Can we have this conversation somewhere else?” He pleaded.

Itachi sighed, accepting the fact that he’d been busted. By his brother and his brother’s boyfriend, nevertheless. This was his third failure in relation to Naruto.

“I guess I can’t refuse,” Itachi said. “But I will under one condition.’

“What is it?” They asked in unison.

“Tell me the names of everyone that knows.”

They both froze. _Fuck._

“How did you know?” Sasuke whispered.

“You never learn,” Itachi uttered with a wistful smile. “I know because you just told me.”

Sasuke knew that smile. He knew that voice. He’d heard it somewhere before, back when he was younger.

_“Aniki, how’d you play it so perfectly? I could barely stretch my fingers that far!”_

_“It’s because I’m older, and my fingers are longer,” Itachi said, raising his hand up so Sasuke could see._

_“That’s not fair,” Sasuke pouted, attempting to play Frère Jacques with one hand one more time. He failed again towards the end, where his thumb had to stretch back to the G note._

_Itachi only smiled. “Alright, let me show you another way.”_

_Sasuke gasped and nodded, thrilled that he’d finally be able to play correctly. Much to his chagrin, Itachi’s plan was not what he had in mind._

_“Put your hands over mine,” Itachi ordered while he placed his own fingers above the keys of the piano._

_“Nii-san, I wanted to learn how to do it myself, not you doing the whole thing!”_

_Itachi shook his head and laughed, the sound foreign to Sasuke’s ears. Sasuke huffed and placed his own chubby hands on Itachi’s slender ones anyway._

_“You’ll be able to in a year or two. Just keep practicing.”_

_Sasuke nodded, frowning. It soon dissipated once Itachi began to press lightly on the keys with both hands. He was playing the complicated version, the one that required more skill._

_“You can do the left hand part?! That’s so awesome, nii-san!”_

_Itachi hummed in response, focusing on getting the melody right. Soon enough, Mikoto walked in, gushing over how beautiful the music was._

_Once Itachi finished, Mikoto and Sasuke clapped._

_“My talented little boy,” Mikoto praised as she walked over to her sons. “You should join the school orchestra, they’ll accept you in a heartbeat.”_

_Sasuke nodded, ignoring the painful disappointment that came with not being praised as much as Itachi._

_Itachi noticed the state Sasuke was in and shrugged. “I don’t know about that, mother. Sasuke did most of it.”_

_“Huh? No I-“_

_Mikoto smiled and walked to Sasuke, ruffling his unkempt hair and kissing him on the forehead. Despite the clear lie, Sasuke fell for it and became giddy._

_“My gifted baby,” she cooed. “I love you both so much.”_

_Sasuke grinned at his mother and Itachi, who responded with a smile. Mikoto waved a goodbye, mentioning something about hiring another nanny._

_“Oh, and Itachi, remember to do your homework!”_

_Itachi nodded as she left, the sound of her heels fading away._

_Sasuke sighed dramatically and jumped off the stool. His tiny feet almost twisted at the incoordination._

_“Nii-san, wanna play with the toys I got for Christmas? Aoda’s waiting upstairs.”_

_“Aoda?” Itachi asked._

_“My snake friend! I’ll introduce you to him!”_

_Sasuke’s chubby fingers grabbed onto the end of Itachi’s shirt and attempted to pull him away, but was stopped when he felt two fingers poke his forehead, hard._

_“Ow!” Sasuke stumbled back and massaged his forehead with his hand. He looked up at Itachi who responded with a wistful smile._

_“Sorry, Sasuke. Maybe next time, okay?”_

Next time? 

When would next time ever come?

The answer disappeared from Sasuke’s head after he turned seven, never to be brought up until now. He couldn’t believe he’d given Itachi the answer, again.

“So? Who did you tell?” Itachi asked.

Sasuke crossed his arms and looked away. “What will you do if I tell you?”

“That depends on your answer.”

“What if I told you… we’re not planning on turning you in.”

Itachi narrowed his eyes. “I’m guilty.”

“I- I know, but…” Sasuke looked unsure.

“Orochimaru did bad things,” Naruto muttered “I guess he deserved it if he was blackmailing people into helping him experiment on others.”

“And what happened in the courtroom. Are you willing to defend me for that as well?” Itachi asked, inspecting them for an answer. 

Sasuke looked down at his feet. Naruto stuffed his hands in his pockets and occupied his gaze with a patch of grass.

“Have you forgotten the children that were killed? They were innocent, and so were some of the adults.”

“I don’t get it,” Sasuke said after a moment of silence. “Why are you trying to set us up against you?”

“Isn’t it obvious? He _wants_ us to be against him. It’ll be easier for him to accept that killing himself would be the right thing to do,” Naruto replied bitterly.

“But it’s not! Itachi, tell us!”

“What?!” Itachi snapped, losing whatever self-control he had left. “What do you want me to tell you? There’s nothing I can tell you anymore. You may think I’m doing this for a reason, but I’m not. Think of me however you’d like, I don’t care. I've never cared.”

“You liar! The reason we’re all here right now is _because_ you cared! After the shooting you took me here, didn’t you? You took me here because you cared.”

“You’re right. I am a liar. All I’ve done in my lifetime was lie,” Itachi revealed. “If your brain functioned regularly, I wouldn’t have had to-”

“It was _fine_ until you put me in a fucking coma!” Sasuke screamed. The veins on his neck looked like they were about to explode. Naruto rushed to his side and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I did it _because_ your brain wasn’t normal!”

_“It doesn’t matter. Your mother is his only mother and his father is his only father. He has a single-track mind.”_

“My brain was normal! It’s your fault I’m like this. If you hadn’t done anything none of this would have happened!” Sasuke yelled. “I looked up to you, but you didn’t care. You ruined my life!”

Itachi glared down at his little brother, looming over him like a building. Nothing seemed to be working right. The clock was turning backwards.

“That’s not true. Obito, he.. If I hadn’t done what I did, you would have turned out like Rin.”

Naruto squinted at Itachi and scrutinized him. Obito. Wasn’t that Kakashi’s friend? Itachi’s accomplice.

“Rin? What are you talking about?” Sasuke asked. 

“Rin abandoned Obito for Kakashi. By doing that, she died because Obito could not protect her,” Itachi informed him. 

The two boys looked at Itachi in disbelief. Sasuke shook his head.

“I’m not Rin. None of that was or is going to happen to me, Itachi.”

Itachi’s eyebrow twitched as he reached down to his pocket, slow enough for the other two to miss. 

“Is that so? Was Orochimaru part of that, too?”

Sasuke clenched his fists. “We could have just called the police. He didn’t need to be killed.”

“I thought your goal was so that I wouldn’t be caught. He would have exposed me as soon as he got arrested,” Itachi shot back.

“I- hold on, what?” Sasuke stopped for a moment in shock. “You knew that he knew?!”

“Yes!” Itachi yelled. Naruto slightly flinched. Itachi was scary when he got angry. “Of course Orochimaru knew. Who else would have planted the pistol in my bag?”

Silence.

Itachi didn’t realize that he’d made a mistake until it was too late. Sasuke’s eyes were already the size of saucers.

“... What?”

The older brother’s chest visibly rose and fell, a clear indication of how much he’d lashed out. Itachi bit his tongue and tried to calm his breathing.

“Itachi, what did you say?” Sasuke asked, the pitch of his voice rising with each second.

Naruto couldn’t bring himself to say anything. All of this was just a big mess.

“... Nothing,” Itachi said, barely passing a whisper. “Go home.”

“I don’t get it,” Sasuke replied hopelessly. “Can you please, for at least once in your life, just talk to me?”

Naruto nodded, about to agree. He stopped himself once he noticed that Itachi’s hand was in his pocket. The blond darted in Itachi’s direction and grabbed his wrist. Itachi let go and yanked Naruto’s hand off, pushing him away.

“What’s in there?!” Naruto yelled. He’d noticed the way Itachi’s hand moved inside his pocket. 

Itachi sighed and closed his eyes. He only reopened them once a familiar sound began to blare in the distance.

“You didn’t,” Sasuke breathed. Naruto stared in shock.

Itachi only smiled, that fake, counterfeit smile that chilled Naruto to the core. Sasuke was petrified, unable to move. 

The sound of the police sirens were only coming closer, causing Sasuke to shake against Naruto.

“Why?” Naruto asked the same question that Sasuke planned on asking.

Itachi did not reply. Naruto finally realized that the object inside of Itachi’s pocket had been his cell phone, which he had used to notify the police. He cursed under his breath and held onto Sasuke, whose body was paralyzed and stuck to the floor. 

The bright lights spinning from the siren finally appeared at the scene. Itachi inhaled and raked through the long tresses of his hair. It was as perfect as ever. If a stranger were to catch a look at Itachi, they would have assumed that he was about to enter a business meeting. The fact that he was about to go to _jail_ wouldn’t have crossed anybody’s mind.

The police car came to a stop a couple of yards away. The teenagers watched two men exit like deer in headlights. Itachi looked as calm as ever, taking a step forward in front of Sasuke. Sasuke clutched at Itachi’s sleeve with pleading eyes. Itachi paid him no attention.

Both men-- clad in police attire, yet looking quite different from most police out there, walked over to Itachi with handcuffs in hands. They didn’t speak a word as Itachi allowed them to snap the metal object around his wrists.

The taller man, whose entire head was covered in what seemed like a face mask, gruffly cleared his throat and yanked Itachi towards the car with force. Sasuke glared and stepped forward.

“Stop being so rough with him, asshole.”

Naruto placed a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down, but was interrupted by the other guy who pulled them along with him as well.

“Hey, let g-”

“Shh,” the shorter guy whispered. His eyes looked familiar, but it was on the tip of Naruto’s tongue.

Naruto tilted his head but was pulled harshly along with Sasuke. The three of them were each shoved into the backseats of the police car, watching as the two policemen sat at the front.

The car began to move a second later, fast, and then the policemen removed their masks.

“I’m never doing anything this troublesome again in my life.”

Everyone in the back seats, including Itachi, watched stupefied as their jaws went slack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure if I made them too ooc this chapter. Well, I hope you liked it regardless, especially the end. Did anyone guess it right? Even I didn't know this was going to happen until my hands just went on their own.


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You asked what my favorite origami piece to make was. It was you.”

Okay, that was giving Itachi too much credit.

His jaw went down a _little,_ but it was a little too much. Sasuke and Naruto couldn’t believe their ears. That voice was definitely Shikamaru’s.

The student in question turned around to wave at the three while Kakashi took a right. No wonder they were wearing masks, the entire thing seemed shady anyway.

“Sh- Shikamaru? Kakashi-Sensei?” Naruto stuttered, in complete and utter shock.

Sasuke’s face was rigid in bewilderment while Itachi kept his expression unnaturally still. Shikamaru sighed dramatically and sat back in his seat.

“Damn,” Shikamaru drawled. “These uniforms make me sweat.” 

“You two are lucky we were at the station when Itachi called,” Kakashi said, dismissing Shikamaru’s complaint. He ignored the venom behind Itachi’s gaze and focused on the road.

“Yeah. We only had a couple of minutes to borrow this car from a certain someone.”

Naruto crossed his arms and squinted at the air, in deep thought. He tried to recall the names of the people that Kakashi had mentioned— specifically the one he knew from the police force.

“Yamato,” Sasuke affirmed. Shikamaru’s eyes lazily followed the Uchiha’s hand. He breathed out a sigh of relief; his fingers were interlocked with Naruto’s, meaning that the two had finally gotten together.

Itachi was dangerously uncommunicative. He sat still at the right side of the car, his eyes burning a hole into the back of Shikamaru’s seat. Sasuke knew exactly what he was thinking about, and his mind was on the same thing.

_“Of course Orochimaru knew. Who else would have planted the pistol in my bag?”_

Who else would have planted the pistol in my bag?

Sasuke recalled learning about rhetorical questions at Sound High. Rhetorical devices were a bitch to learn about; his brain could barely take the assault of questions that did not expect an answer. He was surprised when he’d received the 96 percent average for English class. It wasn’t perfect, but it was better than what he’d anticipated.

So Itachi’s exposure to Sasuke was planned. By Orochimaru, at the very least. That information in and of itself was bewildering to Sasuke, enough to shake him to the core. But what did that even mean?

Did Orochimaru frame Itachi? Sasuke bit the inside of his cheek and gazed into the leather seat that remained visible between his legs. His eyes flitted to Itachi’s shoe before he looked back at the seat, ignoring the increasing urge to yawn in order to get a good breath in.

Eventually Sasuke succumbed, opening his mouth and inhaling as if he was yawning. It didn’t reach the spot like Sasuke had hoped for, so he gave up and continued to take short, uncomfortable breaths.

Naruto’s hand was warm and calming, squeezing slightly around his own. The blond was busy talking to Kakashi about something while Sasuke attempted to eradicate the suffocating air around himself and Itachi with his own lungs.

“So, what now?” Naruto asked, running his calloused fingers across the length of Sasuke’s hair. It distracted Sasuke for a moment, allowing him to let go of some of his stress and relax at the feeling of Naruto’s hand at work.

“We’re going to a certain house,” Kakashi replied as he turned left, into a street all too familiar to Sasuke. “Sasuke, Itachi, you two should know where I’m taking you at this point.”

Anxiety-inducing silence was Itachi’s response. Sasuke nodded, looking out the window. Naruto tilted his head and straightened his back to see what was there. Naruto turned to look at Shikamaru, who only shrugged. 

“I’m sure you’re smart enough to know what to do. Ne, Itachi?”

The man in question didn’t reply verbally. They could almost see the gears turning in his head, deliberating what to do next, or if there even was anything he could do.

They finally reached the driveway, parking there and removing their seatbelts. Naruto and Sasuke stepped outside, the latter hesitating and looking behind himself before being reassured and pulled out a second later.

Itachi’s hands were in cuffs, so movement of that level was pretty much impossible unless he was strong enough to break them. Unluckily for the Uchiha, his preferred type of exercise was focused on the aerobic side rather than the strengthening side. He was led out by Kakashi, who held him firmly by the left arm.

Naruto spotted a familiar head of red hair and gasped. He vaguely remembered Sasuke mentioning that Itachi and Nagato were acquainted, but he didn’t think they were _this_ acquainted! Without warning, Naruto jogged in his direction with Sasuke’s hand latching onto his own.

“Nagato!” He jumped up and wrapped his arms around the man, who smiled and hugged back.

“Hey, Naruto, aren’t you getting a little too old to be jumping on people?” Nagato joked, messing Naruto’s sunny hair up with one hand.

“You’re the older one, ya know. Maybe you’re starting to get back problems,” Naruto shot back teasingly. 

“Bah! He called you old! You’re not just going to take that, are you?” An eccentric looking long haired blond exclaimed behind Nagato. Nagato chuckled and shook his head.

There were more men, and a pretty woman, standing behind Nagato. They all seemed to be about the same age. A familiar face that eyed him caught his eye; he was cherry red-haired with greyish brown eyes. He kind of looked like a high schooler.

“Sasori?” Naruto asked.

“We meet again, Naruto.” Sasori smiled.

Sasuke blinked and looked at the two one by one. Naruto grinned and began to recall the day they met out loud, with Sasori adding details in between each sentence. A scary aura began to emanate from Sasori’s boyfriend, who stormed in between them.

“Hey, Naruto _-kun,”_ Deidara interjected with a scowl. Naruto gulped and blinked up at him. “I know Sasori’s cute, but the only blond with blue eyes he’ll ever be with is me, Deidara!”

Sasuke rolled his eyes and walked up to Deidara, roughly poking his chest with a finger. “And the only blond with blue eyes _I’ll_ ever be with is _him._ So stop getting all worked up.”

Naruto blushed while Sasuke smirked at Deidara’s reaction. Sasori punched him lightly, earning a weak glare in return. The others laughed as Hidan gasped.

“Oh, Lord Jashin,” Hidan cried. “You actually convinced him to go out with you?!”

This time it was Sasuke’s time to blush while Naruto gave him a shit-eating grin. Sasuke looked away in an attempt to hide his face while the Jashinist continued to gape.

“So you told people?” Naruto asked, smiling smugly and pulling Sasuke closer. Sure, he did the same thing, but it wasn’t like Sasuke needed to know at the moment.

“Shut up,” Sasuke muttered. “I didn’t even tell them, they just assumed I…”

“You?”

“Please, assumed?” Hidan laughed. “Don’t give him that. We knew.”

 _“How?_ Even I didn’t know!” Sasuke huffed in a way that was just so enchanting to Naruto. 

“It was so obvious, even my man Kakuzu knew. And Kakuzu’s barely around!”

Soon enough, Kakashi, Shikamaru and Itachi followed a minute later. The men (and woman) at the house became stern and rigid as they approached them. Naruto sent a worried glance at Sasuke, who dismissed it with a weak smile.

“Let’s go inside,” Kakashi said soberly, walking past them with Itachi’s arm tightly gripped by his hand. Nagato’s smile melted into a grim expression as he motioned for the teenagers to walk in first, along with Shikamaru.

It was as they all walked in when Naruto realized how big the house really was. It was multiple stories high with modern furniture, like bright LED lights extending from ceiling to ceiling. There was pop music faintly playing, but it stopped as soon as the woman with the piercing below her bottom lip pressed a button.

They made it to the living room, where everyone sat down in deafening silence.

Naruto took a deep breath, saying nothing. What _could_ he say? Nothing from earlier felt like it was sinking in. Maybe it was because he didn’t quite understand what Itachi was saying in the first place.

Naruto didn’t know who Rin was, and he didn’t know a lot of these people. Orochimaru wasn’t his teacher, and he’d never been at the courtroom when the incident took place. He didn’t think Sasuke was related to _any_ of the situations happening now prior to the past day.

All he really wanted was to be alone with Sasuke and shield both of them from what was happening in the real world. 

Finally, somebody spoke.

“Well, at least we know _now_ what Itachi’s been up to,” Hidan muttered.

“You haven't spoken more than one sentence to us since you moved back here,” Nagato said, nodding and looking at Itachi, who stared absentmindedly into space. “And that sentence was to let Sasuke stay here for three days.”

“Now we know why you did that,” Kakashi added on.

Everyone hummed and nodded in agreement. Sasuke shifted, uncomfortable by the sheer amount of authority in the room.

It dawned on Sasuke then that they were _all_ breaking the law. He didn’t need to read the laws to know that what Shikamaru and Kakashi did was illegal. And that knowingly keeping a criminal away from the police’s line of sight was, too.

“You killed Orochimaru,” Konan concluded.

Itachi was unresponsive for a moment before he closed his eyes and nodded. Naruto felt a twinge of… something at the sight. He didn’t look like he cared anymore, and that frightened him. He didn’t want to know how Sasuke was feeling at this point. Itachi seemed lifeless, almost defeated.

“... I can't believe this,” she said, sitting down and burying her face in her palms. After doing it for some time, she looked back up, her amber eyes boring into Itachi’s cold, black ones.

“I thought you were able to overcome it. You told us you wouldn’t do anything after that day.”

Naruto stilled, feeling Sasuke go rigid against his skin. 

_What?_ Sasuke bit his tongue in order to keep himself from reacting. He couldn’t believe it. More and more people were revealing that they knew. It was getting crazier.

 _Do I even know him?_ He thought as he glanced at Itachi from the corner of his eye. _He knows me, but I don’t know him._

_Who is he?_

That realization terrified him. To think that Itachi was merely a stranger that lived in the same house as him under the same name was scary.

Suddenly that same bout of amusement struck him, like that moment in Kakashi’s car. He almost choked as he tried to stop himself from becoming maniacal like last time. His head was starting to hurt, badly, like it was about to implode within itself. 

Sasuke immediately seized hold of Naruto’s hand again, intertwining their fingers and holding it tight. All of the new information they were receiving was dizzying.

Said hand tightened back, causing a wave of warmth to spread through him. Sasuke gave Naruto a small smile, earning a compassionate one in return. Naruto’s fingers wrapped around his wrist and gently pulled the raven towards him. 

_Love you,_ Naruto mouthed. Suddenly they were alone as Sasuke remembered the first time they had a conversation. It could hardly even be called one; all they did was

“Naruto, Sasuke,” Kakashi called. Both teens whipped their heads up to his eye-level. “What was he planning to do when you got there?”

Sasuke froze under Naruto’s touch. Naruto sighed and massaged his arm carefully. He didn’t know what it was, but being in a relationship with the Uchiha made him soft inside in a way nothing else could.

Naruto took it as his cue to answer. “He was planning to..” He caught a glimpse of Itachi, whose eyes were not on him. They were alarmingly blank. Almost like Sasuke that day after Ichiraku’s. “He was trying to, uh,” he decided to make a motion instead, making a slicing gesture above his hand.

The Akatsuki was silent for some time after that. It was nauseatingly obvious to Naruto that they were all friends with Itachi.

Nagato breathed in deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“Alright. Someone take the kids to another room. We’ll discuss this now.”

Naruto frowned, disappointed that he wouldn’t be part of the conversation. Beside him, Sasuke seemed to have accepted it and stood up, holding out a hand for Naruto to balance himself as he did as well.

“I guess I’ll go, then,” Hidan announced. “I really don’t give a shit about all this. But hey, Itachi, if you look at the bright side, you’re eligible to be an honorable member of Jashinism. Like me!”

Itachi only replied with an uninterested look. Sasuke rolled his eyes and led Naruto to the doorway, waiting for Hidan to follow.

“Hold on, like you?!” Naruto asked loudly as he was pulled out of the room.

The rest of them grimaced, though it was one of amusement.

“Wait ‘til he hears about everything the _Akatsuki’s_ done as a whole,” Deidara said, leaning back on his seat.

“We agreed to keep quiet about that,” Konan reminded him. “Because of cases like these.” She gestured towards Itachi.

“I guess you’re right.”

* * *

“What do you mean, like you?” Naruto asked.

“What do you think, brat?” Hidan shot back, feeling disrespected by Naruto’s expression.

“Ignore him, Naruto,” Sasuke said exasperatedly. “He’s just a fanatic.”

Hidan gasped dramatically, in a way Naruto thought he’d only see in a TV show.

“I’m not a fanatic, you little—,“ he inhaled, trying to calm down. “One day you’ll understand. You’ll be begging to be a part of it, just you wait.”

Sasuke hummed disbelievingly and pressed a button on the elevator. Naruto yawned and looked around. 

The sound of Hidan’s shoe tapping on the floor repeatedly was getting annoying, so Sasuke sent a glare of annoyance in his direction. Naruto chuckled quietly and reached for Sasuke’s hand. Sasuke’s glare softened as he reached back.

“Ugh, couples are so gross. Stop being so touchy with each other,” Hidan complained, feigning a gag as the three of them walked into the elevator box.

“Maybe _you_ need some of that in your life,” Naruto replied, holding Sasuke closer. Sasuke flushed at their proximity in the presence of somebody else.

“Of course not!” He paused. “Wait…”

Sasuke crossed his arms while Naruto waited for a clear answer. Hidan pressed the skin above his eyebrow with a finger for a moment, in deep thought, before smirking.

“Actually, you’re right. I can spread my beautiful religion through my children!”

Naruto facepalmed. That definitely wasn’t the answer he was looking forward to. Sasuke breathed out a sarcastic laugh and pulled the blond along with him as soon as the elevator bell rang.

The third floor was the complete opposite of what Naruto had expected. He’d assumed that it would be the same as the main floor: pristine and modern. The main floor had a color scheme of white, grey and black. But this floor was more black than anything.

“Edgy, right?” Hidan smirked as Sasuke reddened and shoved a hand in his pocket.

“Yeah. What’s the deal?” Naruto asked obliviously. Sasuke hoped his hand wasn’t sweating against Naruto’s.

“This is where Itachi, Kakashi and Sasuke stay,” Hidan replied. “The emo trio.”

Sasuke punched Hidan, and no, this time it wasn’t lightly.

“Woah, you have a room here, Sasuke?” Naruto was suddenly a couple of feet away, examining a large painting of a red cloud. “And what’s this?”

Hidan grinned and walked over to the blond. “That’s the Akatsuki logo.”

“The what?”

“Their stupid club,” Sasuke said as he followed directly after. Hidan smirked and shook his head.

“We’re not just a club. And _you_ shouldn’t be talking if you associate with us, kid.”

“I only do because of my brother.”

“Hah! You do because you had no friends.”

Naruto was long gone as they bickered. He noticed a room at the end of the hallway, one that was half open and lit up with upbeat music playing inside. Hidan and Sasuke walked to that area a moment later.

“That’s Kakashi’s room. Wanna see?” Hidan asked.

“Huh? Oh, I mean, it’s his-“

Sasuke reached for the knob and pushed the door wide open, blatantly revealing the room’s interior. Well, at least Naruto’s curiosity was satisfied. He hoped that didn’t harm Kakashi’s privacy in any way.

The room reflected Kakashi’s personality on every level. There was a large bookshelf on the side, next to a desk with scattered papers and pens spread above the wood surface. A typical look for a high school teacher. Naruto let his legs follow his gaze, or in short, to the bookshelf. 

“Woah, Kakashi Sensei reads a lot,” Naruto pointed out, placing his index finger on his bottom lip.

He was about to take one out when Sasuke stopped him, his hand tight around Naruto’s forearm. Hidan laughed hysterically behind them as he took a bite of a granola bar he’d found in Kakashi’s closet.

“That’s all porn. I suggest you leave it there instead of scarring _another_ pair of eyes,” Sasuke said with a scowl.

Naruto let go of the book like it was a poisonous cactus and jumped back as far away as he could from the shelf, causing Hidan to cackle even more.

“Wait. So that means—“

“Yeah. Kakashi’s been reading porn at school for most of the year now. And probably longer.” Sasuke smirked in amusement at Naruto’s reaction. 

Aside from the shocking revelation, the room looked pretty neat, yet barren. There wasn’t much in the room to look at.

There was a picture frame on Kakashi’s bedside table. Naruto took a step forward to peer closer, but there was nothing he could see. It was facing the wall, as if it’s owner didn’t want visitors to see it. Or rather, he didn’t want to see it himself.

The room after Kakashi’s was Itachi’s. The answer to why they didn’t go inside was clear.

“Come with me,” Sasuke grabbed Naruto’s hand and led him to the room that was farthest away. After hissing bitterly at Hidan to stay away, Sasuke opened the door and pulled Naruto inside.

He pushed the door shut and flicked the switch down, watching as the room lit up. He allowed Naruto some time to turn around, and Naruto couldn’t help but gasp at the beauty.

To say this room was a complete 180 from Sasuke’s room back at the Uchiha Manor was an understatement. The layout was normal, of course. It was arranged like a typical high schooler's room. But whoever designed it was _amazing._

Everything that had to do with Sasuke’s personality was pronounced tremendously in this room. There were things in here that Naruto thought were completely different, yet fitting for Sasuke. 

Guitars were propped on the wall along with strings and colorful origami that adorned them. Bright yellow ducks and blue cranes, magenta _snails—_

“Wow,” was all Naruto could get out.

Sasuke, whose face was turned away from him, slightly relaxed as his ears turned pink under Naruto’s gaze. Naruto noticed this and smirked, walking over to him to give him a big, fat hug. He could practically feel the heat radiating off of the Uchiha’s face, which he considered adorable.

“Welcome to the special place,” Sasuke mumbled.

Naruto laughed. “What happened to your enthusiasm? Are you embarrassed?”

“Shut _up,”_ Sasuke shook Naruto off and stormed off to his bed, though Naruto knew it wasn’t of ill intention. The black haired teen crossed his arms and laid on the mattress, still wearing his shoes. He stretched his arms out and let his limbs relax on the pillowy surface and took a long, deep breath.

“At home, it’s always _do this, do that,”_ Sasuke confessed. “The only thing I do for fun in there is play piano. And I’m not even good at piano.”

Naruto sat next to him, continuing to admire the paper things that colored the room. There was a blue carpet on the floor that was parallel to the paper hawk that hung from the ceiling. He wondered how long something like this took.

“And I always have to wear the same two outfits. I mean, have you ever seen me at home or at a party without that stupid frilly dress shirt? Or that vest?” Sasuke sighed in exasperation. “That pink tie you gave me was probably the farthest I’ve gone without dressing authentically.”

Huh. Naruto vividly remembered that tie. The pink one that matched Sasuke well during his birthday party. The blonde snickered for a moment, recalling the time he’d accidentally spilled fruit punch all over Sasuke. He took a moment to acknowledge the way Sasuke was speaking. He seemed as casual as a person could get, like his uptight front had just diminished.

And the gift…

“Speaking of that night,” Naruto said, causing Sasuke to peer up at him, “that present you gave me, the one with all the birds and stuff…”

The raven hummed, recalling it as well. While he’d never admit it, it was probably one of the best nights in his life. He loved that Naruto was spending time with him, but he’d always seen that feeling as a nuisance. Kami, Sasuke just wanted to punch his old self in the face.

“I- I dunno, at first I thought nothing of it. Like, it was pretty cool. Breathtaking. Like, it—“ Naruto stopped, gathering his thoughts. Man, he was such a _teenager_ when it came to this stuff.

Sasuke smirked smugly, with a face that said: _now_ you get it. Naruto fumed and punched him lightly, clearing his throat dramatically.

“I just… now I realize how special it was.” Naruto smiled and laughed quietly for a moment, feeling more mature than he’d ever been. “I kept that paper version of me. It’s probably the best thing I’ve kept in my life.”

“Don’t get too sentimental on me,” Sasuke mumbled and propped himself up against Naruto. They leaned on each other for a moment before Sasuke sighed. “That's what I was trying to tell you. In the car.”

Naruto gave him a questioning look. Sasuke continued. 

“You asked what my favorite origami piece to make was. It was you.”

Expressing this type of thing was quite unusual and embarrassing for Sasuke. There was so much he wanted to say, yet so little. He couldn’t believe Naruto could bring out this feeling deep inside of him. A feeling so overwhelming that it could cause him to just forget about everything else.

Naruto laughed once again, this time a laugh that rang like pleasant bells in his ears. Sasuke only watched, entranced. 

“You’re such a sap, teme.”

Sasuke’s eyes rolled upwards in ingenuine annoyance as he took Naruto’s hand in his own and stood up. Naruto followed suit, giving the room another once over. He couldn’t rip his gaze away. The only thing, or person, that could surpass this was Sasuke himself.

“You infected me with your stupid love stuff,” Sasuke said, leading him to a bookshelf nearby. Naruto raised an eyebrow and snorted.

“Stupid love stuff?” He teased.

The raven prodded around and fumbled with a couple of books until he found one and pulled it out. Before Naruto could see it, he was pulled away, back to the bed. It was queen sized, now that he noticed, and very blue. Sasuke placed the black book between them. Naruto read the title, which said _Kill Shot_ in a barren font. 

“This is the second book,” Sasuke said, playing with the ends of a few pages. Naruto nodded, though his attention was somewhere else. “Want to borrow it?”

Naruto shook his head, causing Sasuke to feel a bit uncertain. “I want to read it together, like the last one,” Naruto said. "Hopefully that stupid Victor gets what he deserves."

* * *

“Just so all you people know,” Shikamaru declared. “I could easily just call my dad right now and have him arrest Itachi.”

The others winced. Shikamaru was correct, he was currently the one with the most authority in the room, despite his young age. He had no reason to be stressed over Itachi if the man was already caught, even if it was illegally.

“But if I do, that’ll get all of us in trouble for being silent. All of us are trapped in a loophole.”

Kakashi nodded, the shadow of an expression of grimness visible underneath his mask. Itachi still hadn’t said a single word, which was starting to get worrisome. He seemed to be somewhere else right now, not physically but mentally. Sometimes the silver haired teacher wished he understood him better.

“You’re too insightful for your own good,” Nagato said, the pitch of his voice rivaling baritone. “You should be upstairs with the other two right now.”

Shikamaru’s lip curled upwards in disgust as he shook his head. “I’d hate to be a third wheel.”

Itachi listened mutely. The others had finally come up with a plan— one that the Uchiha was highly against. Ultimately, he wouldn’t go against it verbally. His throat was closed, unwilling to let go of any words that were sitting in his foggy mind. He was thinking up strategies, solutions for the situation he’d fallen in. 

Nagato was right. Itachi was just a kid fresh out of high school. One that may have believed that he was doing the right thing, but in reality was just living in an illusion.

“My question is: why are you all fine with this? He participated in an all-out _shooting.”_

Deidara shook his head. “It’s been established that he didn’t really do anything aside from accompany Obito. Which means he’s responsible for only one death.”

Orochimaru’s death. Itachi did not regret killing him. The deathly pale skin that frantically pulsated under his cold hands deserved to be marred in the most unsightly way. Itachi knew his fate as soon as he saw the envelope. He’d been lenient before and allowed the man to get away with planting the pistol in his bag where Sasuke could see, but that was the last straw. 

Itachi didn’t care that he was in trouble now. As long as Sasuke was safe, he was okay.

“Who hit Sasuke with the gun?” Kakashi asked sternly. Itachi closed his eyes. He wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of an answer.

“Itachi, you’re being childish. Answer him,” was Nagato’s harsh reprimand.

There were a lot of secrets that were buried in the depths of Itachi’s mind. He was all but a sharer. Nobody knew him and he preferred to keep it that way. Perhaps there was a way to escape this, Itachi mused. Maybe death was the wrong choice. Itachi breathed out through his nose. Naruto said there was another way.

“I hit him,” Itachi said, unmoved by his confession. Kakashi stared at him for some time, searching to see if the almost-21 year old was being untruthful.

“Why?”

The older brother eyed him in response, his expression undoubtedly saying _oh, would you like to know._ Kakashi sighed and sat cross legged, wishing he was reading or at least with his love interest. Conceivably, Itachi could find one of his own and magically get better.

Nagato was typing something into his laptop, with Konan adding some things in as well. Kakashi glanced over then away from them, then at Shikamaru. What a shame, he thought, Shikamaru was just a kid.

“So this is what rich people do,” Shikamaru muttered, gaining the attention of everybody once again. "Bury everything up and never speak of it again. No justice.”

The others sighed and looked away in shame. Itachi Uchiha was the heir of Uchiha Corp, a company that was now corrupted at the expense of Fugaku Uchiha’s unawareness.

“There will be consequences,” Kakashi said. “We’re going to create a system that will bring Itachi back on track.”

“So like, rehab for crazy people?”

“Deidara,” Sasori warned. 

Nagato cleared his throat, looking up from the screen that reflected brightly in his purple eyes. Everybody else, with the exception of Itachi, whose ponytail was becoming looser and looser, causing the shorter parts of his dark hair to frame his face, turned to watch him stand.

“I signed him up for a psychiatric evaluation. You said before that it hasn’t been updated since he was eight.” Nagato set the laptop down on the polished table. “This is non-negotiable, Itachi. We’re going to force you to do this.”

Itachi looked at him blankly and narrowed his eyes, sizing him up, challenging him to see if what he was saying was true. Nagato walked over to him, who was still handcuffed and seated on the chair.

“What will you do once I remove them?” The red haired Uzumaki asked, pointing at the cuffs.

The Uchiha closed his eyes. Kakashi couldn’t help but wonder what it was like to live in that body. To think Itachi had a personality and a life of his own was baffling. 

“Fix my hair,” Itachi’s smooth, rich voice replied. Shikamaru wondered briefly if Itachi considered what he said funny in any way. He certainly hoped that wasn’t the case.

“And then what?”

Itachi shook his head softly yet swiftly in order to stop his bangs from poking his eyes. “I am going to attempt to figure out what your reason for going such lengths to keep me out of prison is.”

That was the most they’d heard from him in a long time. The Itachi in front of them was so unlike the one they’d met and learned to know and love.

Deidara bitterly blinked away the feeling that pricked at the corners of his eyes, wondering why he was feeling like this when he thought he’d hated him. Half of Nagato’s expression was hidden by the way he parted his hair, but he was just as pained as the blond. Konan let go of a long sigh.

Shikamaru’s finger hovered over the screen as he thought of two familiar faces. Itachi was definitely thinking of something, and it most definitely was related to Naruto and Sasuke. They were planning something; something that everyone else didn’t know about. Shikamaru sighed.

“You’ll figure it out soon enough. You have your brother and his boyfriend to-“

Shikamaru choked on his words halfway when a deafening crack interrupted him, the sound thundering and echoing as far as it went. Then came the shattering of glass, and the alarming scream. The room became as silent as it could be, with everyone staring at each other as pools of dread settled in their stomach.

The one to sprint out and up the stairs first was Itachi, leading everyone to follow in horror.

Unlike everything that he’d predicted, this wasn’t a part of Itachi’s plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, my motivation has been increasing and decreasing randomly recently. I'm going to let you in on a little secret-- none of this story was planned in advance. I've been thinking of ways to continue it, and so far it looks like it's working. Though it causes a LOT of writer's block, so I don't recommend it. I have a clear vision of how to end this story, and maybe there might even be a second one (one that I will actually plan thoroughly). Thank you so much for reading! + I was thinking of changing the fic’s summary, but I’m terrible of summaries. So we’ll have to stick with the terrible one that I put when I didn’t know what would happen after the first chapter.


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “This year went by like a dream,” Naruto said, ignoring the blond locks that blew over his line of sight. “I can’t believe it even happened.”

“No!” Naruto hollered at the top of his lungs.

He was dead! Dead! And he couldn’t do anything to stop it!

A shiny sword pierced the character’s abdomen as he stumbled back. Naruto gripped his controller tightly, in virtually as much pain as the character. This was the _third_ time he’d lost.

“I won! Again!” Kiba jumped up and cheered. The rest of the boys sighed and shook their heads.

“You’re so bad, Naruto. You literally didn’t get a single hit on him,” Suigetsu said, who’d been extremely absorbed into the game, engrossing himself in commentary throughout it.

Naruto huffed and crossed his arms, sitting back and becoming limp against the uncomfortable hospital chair. The rest of the teenagers snickered as Kiba and Shikamaru switched places.

“Shut up! I haven’t played in a while!”

“Hah! Yeah right, you said that last time,” Kiba said triumphantly. Naruto bitterly rolled his eyes and pouted, reaching his hand out to the right.

Beside him, a boy whose dark hair heavily contrasted with extremely pale skin reached back from his bed, letting Naruto’s hand take his. Sasuke’s touch sent tingles up from his fingertips to the very top of his shoulder.

“Me versus you now, Uchiha. Put up a better fight,” Shikamaru said with a challenging tone.

Sasuke smirked haughtily and took the controller that remained at the top of his blanket-covered lap. He wasn’t going to lose, no way. Especially not to Shikamaru. 

The IV drip hung from his pallid arm up to the pole that held the bag. It was strange to see the pain killing medication flow from the bag through the tube to Sasuke’s bloodstream. Naruto sometimes drifted away while he stared at it, being reminded by the horrific sight he’d encountered that day.

Sasuke held up the controller with a determined light in his eyes, the same one that came whenever he was met with a challenge. Even in video games, Naruto mused as he smiled in adoration.

Yes, he and Sasuke were boyfriends. He picked Sasuke’s left hand up without warning only to press his lips onto the back of it, smiling halfway. A surprised smile creeped onto Sasuke’s own lips as he took Naruto’s chin with his index finger and thumb and gazed into his azure eyes, pecking him slightly on the lips.

Though it was just a peck, it didn’t stop Naruto from feeling elated to the core. He and Sasuke were _boyfriends,_ god damnit! Sasuke reciprocated his feelings from the very start. They were in love, and there was nothing that could stop them.

Except it was very close. Their love had almost, _almost,_ reached an end before it truly started. On that day… Naruto was so close to losing Sasuke. 

He was glad the circumstance defined by the word ‘almost’ existed. If it didn’t… well, he hoped he wouldn’t ever have to figure that out.

“Alright, alright. That’s enough. We’re here too, you know?” Suigetsu interrupted, breaking their tender trances.

Naruto chuckled lightly and nodded, parting from Sasuke until the distance between them was about a foot or so. Sasuke returned to his driven demeanor as he stared heavily at the bright monitor in front of him, ready to virtually fight Shikamaru. 

The blond was glad that the hospital was lenient enough to allow the boys to bring the console into Sasuke’s room. It took some time to argue with the doctors, but it was worth it in the end. Seeing Sasuke look so excited and motivated was their reward. 

Naruto now focused his attention on Gaara and Juugo, who were communicating without words as they worked on the word search they were given the previous day at school. Of course, the others were going to copy it. Naruto couldn’t be bothered to stare at a paper for a million seconds when he could be staring at his _lover_ instead. _Lover._ That word suited Sasuke perfectly.

“Hurry up, then,” Naruto replied. “And then leave so Sasuke and I could have some alone time.”

Kiba gasped in false hurt and Shikamaru raised an eyebrow with a look that said: _really?_ Naruto grinned and watched Sasuke’s face burn for a second before the raven’s pride returned to the surface. 

“Meh. I was going to go after this game, anyway. I need to catch up on time with Temari, too.”

“Same, I seriously miss Hinata. I could really go for a date with her right now. And a kiss. And a hug. And some-“

Neji glared at Kiba violently, earning a small “eep!” and silence from the dog-like brunet. He couldn’t help it! It was instinctual to go on a rant whenever it came to the timid, beautiful Hyuga.

Neji and Tenten parted ways halfway into the school year. It was sad that they broke up, but it was for the better. Neji had goals that Tenten’s schedule just didn’t work well with.

Gaara was still single, though his eyes sometimes lingered on an energetic kid with a bowl cut and fuzzy, black eyebrows sometimes. It was still difficult for Naruto to determine whether it was a gaze of platonic or romantic weight.

Ino began dating their upperclassman, Sai. It was unexpected for everyone; he was just so… him, and she was just so her. Nobody paid attention to Sai, who was a bit too strange for society’s standards, while everyone paid attention to the beautiful Ino. Then again, everybody should have realized it when Sai’s smile became easier to look at whenever he was around her.

As for Sakura… well.

She was still looking for her special someone. Right now she was focusing on herself, and how she could become a better version of herself. She realized how damaged and broken she truly was during and even before her relationship with Sasuke. Nobody with self-awareness would have stuck around like she did. 

Naruto genuinely admired Sakura. Instead of becoming a homewrecker, which he’d initially feared and felt guilty for thinking, she became open to suggestions and new possibilities. She was a natural born leader that needed to be ready to bloom.

Kakashi and Iruka were probably the ultimate couple if Naruto said so himself. They were the dynamic duo, with a bit too much levering on the dynamic portion. Iruka was quite domestic, yet authorized when things became too much. He was kind of like an angry mom, Naruto thought while smiling to himself.

His partner, at the other hand, was more laid back than anxious. Kakashi rarely worried about everything, which juxtaposed Iruka’s chaotic personality. However, Naruto could tell they both harbored a soft spot for each other, one that shone past everything else.

Naruto sighed, drifting in and out of his thoughts once again as Suigetsu shouted at Sasuke to press on the jump button.

He glanced at Sasuke with the intention of doing just that: a quick glance. But he just couldn’t take his eyes away. He thought of a face that almost replicated Sasuke’s, with the exception of slightly darker skin, long hair and grooves that went down below his blank and emotionless eyes. 

Itachi Uchiha was far, very far from the perfect man that Naruto had seen him as when they first met.

Not once during that dinner did he ever think that Itachi’s grudge was this deep. That he even held feelings against Naruto. Naruto had made the mistake of characterizing him; thinking that he was as in depth as he portrayed himself to be, which was very little. Itachi was as clear as mud, unfathomable and opaque, perplexing and mysterious. 

But not even he could maintain that exterior when all he lived for was at risk. 

After all, the pure _emotion_ on his face when he raced to Sasuke’s side was too heavy for Naruto to handle. The fear and dread and panic radiated off of him in waves, overwhelming as it layered over Naruto’s own terror.

* * *

_“Sasuke!”_

_Naruto’s loud, terrified scream was the third thing that came after the sounds of a loud bang and glass shattering. More sharp sounds came and Naruto jumped over to Sasuke in what seemed like slow motion. But it was already too late._

_Sasuke was in his arms, losing consciousness as black and white spots swam in his vision. Naruto was above him, mouthing words that Sasuke couldn’t hear. His brain was focused on something else: sending frantic signals for his body to repair itself. But it was to no avail, the damage on the lower right quadrant of his abdomen was too great._

_Dark crimson liquid began to stain the area in which he’d been shot, almost causing Naruto’s eyes to bulge out of his sockets. He’d never seen anything like this since so long ago. His eyes and ears began to itch unbearably. Naruto didn’t want history to repeat itself._

_Sasuke coughed, unable to fully grasp what had just happened. His eyes were locked on Naruto, wide and dazed. Naruto felt like throwing up._

_Time was barely processed when Itachi bolted into the room, handcuffs and all. Hidan came after, who had previously allowed the two some alone time. He quickly regretted it afterwards, though._

_“Get this shit off of me!” Itachi shouted, causing Naruto to flinch out of his hazy stupor. It didn’t occur to him then that Itachi had actually cursed. What panic did to people was intriguing._

_Hidan immediately went to work, relieving Itachi of the cuffs that restrained him. The other members of the Akatsuki flooded the room, already calling the emergency line and police. Shikamaru called his dad. This attack clearly was not related to Itachi. There was someone else out there._

_Holy shit, there was someone else out there._

_Itachi looked around frantically for a moment, cursing under his breath when he found nothing. Naruto realized that Itachi didn’t seem so calm and collected anymore. They were all in the same situation._

_“Someone give me a-“ Something clicked in the older Uchiha’s head as he reached under his own shirt and pulled it above his head, revealing his undershirt. He ripped it in half and tied it around Sasuke, pressing his hand above a fistful of cloth above the wound._

_Kakashi remembered briefly that Itachi had mentioned attending a couple of lectures relating to the medical field. It was only natural that he’d picked up some first aid knowledge with it._

_Naruto was pushed away; Itachi needed space and so did Sasuke. The wounded kid’s face was contorted in agony, the sight a clamp that threatened to squeeze Naruto’s heart until it hurt. Seeing Sasuke hurting so much pained Naruto._

_Nagato raced to the window to see if he could find the perpetrator, but he was too late. The person was gone as fast as the gunshot whizzed past Naruto and lodged into Sasuke’s body._

_Konan cursed out loud and clenched her fists. The ambulance was taking its sweet time._

_Deidara held Sasori tightly. Sure, he had grudges against the kid but he would absolutely never wish this kind of thing upon him. Sasori noticed that Deidara had begun to shake and hugged him with more force, grounding the taller blond._

_Sasuke whined quietly under Itachi, who gently shushed him and pressed harder. Sasuke bit his lip, hard, in an attempt to distract himself from the searing pain on his torso. It was a practice that he’d picked up sometime during middle school, but it didn’t work as well as he’d wished it would._

_Itachi was mumbling things under his breath that Naruto couldn’t understand. He swallowed to get a better listen, but it did nothing. The mysterious man began to shake slightly around his younger brother, whispering the same word over and over like a mantra._

_“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry,” Itachi whispered, rubbing a thumb below Sasuke’s eye to stop the tears from rolling down his pale cheek. He hadn’t meant this. He hadn’t meant to cause this at all._

_All of his work was done in vain. In the end, it was Itachi who had caused Sasuke’s danger._

_Kakashi quietly and gently pulled Itachi away, deeming him unqualified for Sasuke’s emergency care once the twenty year old began to loosen his grip on the fabric. Konan took Itachi in her arms, who began to shake uncontrollably._

_Naruto watched as he entered his first ever mental breakdown. One that would eventually change him in the future._

_The door almost broke off its hinges with how hard the paramedics pushed it open. Quickly everyone had to clear, and Naruto wasn’t able to catch one last glimpse of Sasuke before he was dragged out._

_He vaguely remembered how loud he’d screamed Sasuke’s name. And how wet and salty his face had been from the tears and snot that ran down his skin. How blurred his vision got, and how scared he was when he realized that there was a possibility that this could be the last time he ever got to see Sasuke._

* * *

Sasuke was okay.

He was because now, months later, he and Naruto stood at the rooftop, waiting for the school day to end. The sun was scorching hot, its bright light settling on the two boys’ features. 

Naruto’s hand held Sasuke’s with a type of touch that spread throughout them both, tingling and addictive. Sasuke inhaled the hot air, smelling the sweet scent of ice cream and the salty ocean almost a mile away. 

“This year went by like a dream,” Naruto said, ignoring the blond locks that blew over his line of sight. “I can’t believe it even happened.”

Sasuke smiled, staring at the trees that lazily leaned to the left with every infrequent breeze. “Neither can I.”

The taller of the two turned to the left to gaze at Sasuke, whose eyes remained on the sight in front of him. Those dark orbs reflected the sky beautifully. Naruto sighed out a soft laugh and nudged his lover.

“What are you planning to do this summer vacation?”

“Hm,” Sasuke began. “My parents were considering going to the mountains.”

Naruto raised an eyebrow. He was a bit sad that Sasuke had to leave, but he was happy for him. After everything that happened, the Uchihas needed time to plan and get everything together. Naruto decided to support Sasuke, no matter what. It still didn’t stop a small frown from showing up on his face, though.

“But we figured we should stay somewhere where we could easily visit Itachi. Plus,” Sasuke smirked, with a bright glint that could only come from a younger brother. “He’d miss us too much if we did go. And so would you.”

“H- hey! You’d better leave me out of this, ya know. Here I was, trying to be supportive and now you’re making fun of me,” Naruto whined.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and punched Naruto on the shoulder lightly. Naruto stumbled back, feigning hurt. His expression melted into a smile when Sasuke began to laugh.

It was a light, warm laugh. It wasn’t as contagious as Naruto’s, not at all. However, it was a melodic laugh that made everybody that listened to it stand still and stare in enchantment.

“Asshole,” Naruto grumbled, desperately trying not to break out into a full blown grin.

Sasuke shook his head and breathed out. “What about you? What will you be doing?”

Oh, here it was. Here came the bright, sunny grin that rivaled the star itself. It glowed and sparkled in a way that made the sun envious. Naruto placed a hand behind his head and squinted up at the sky.

“Stupid. Why do you think I’m so happy? I’m staying here, too. My goal this summer is to eat more ramen in two months than I have in my entire life,” Naruto said in determination.

Sasuke scoffed in disbelief and shook his head. “That’s impossible. You won’t be able to make it past a fourth of your life.”

“Oh yeah? Want to bet on it?”

“Hell yeah I do,” Sasuke smirked. “What do I win if you fail?”

Naruto paused and pressed a thumb down on his bottom lip, thinking of a prize. Finally, after a couple of moments, he snickered and leaned towards Sasuke.

“I’ll give you a _kiss,”_ he suggested, trying not to make the prize _too_ good, or else Sasuke would actively try to fail him.

“Dobe,” Sasuke crossed his arms. “Choose something else. You're going to kiss me all summer, so a prize like that won’t even make a difference.”

“Teme! You’re not my boss, I’ll kiss you whenever-“

Sasuke interrupted him and closed the gap between them, pressing his own (softer now) lips onto Naruto’s. Their lips locked for what seemed like eternity, a time so blissful that neither of them wanted to let go. They finally had each other.

Naruto brought a hand up to cup Sasuke’s cheek. His other arm made its way to the Uchiha’s waist, though he made sure not to cause any discomfort and avoided the bandages that were wrapped around Sasuke’s wounded area. Sasuke stepped an inch closer and deepened the kiss, sending Naruto into a frenzy.

Months of waiting were finally over. Sasuke wrapped his arms behind Naruto and onto his toned back. It was the last day of junior year, and they were so close to becoming seniors. Naruto was in love with their relationship.

Their lips parted after what seemed like a lifetime, yet as soon as they broke away, it felt like they’d only really kissed for about two seconds. That was quickly forgotten once Sasuke pulled Naruto into a sweet, tight embrace.

Naruto smiled and inhaled, feeling Sasuke’s heartbeat align with his own on the surface of his skin. This was perfect. They were perfect.

“I love you,” Sasuke murmured, the sound almost sending shivers down Naruto’s being as it tingled in his ear.

“I love you, too.”

* * *

Konoha City was known to be a beautiful, clean location with almost zero flaws aside from its alarmingly high statistics when it came to gang activity and crime. That meant there were double the usual amount of police stations and hospitals in the city, unlike other locations.

Near the hotspot, where areas like Konoha High School and Ichiraku’s Ramen and Arcade resided, was a remote island called Kaen, or Blaze Island. 

It was an island that almost nobody was allowed to visit, aside from the country’s heinous and most deplorable criminals. Not many people went there to see these prisoners due to the lack of friends and family they kept around, or rather, stuck around them.

A long standing myth in Konoha stated that usually, the people who _did_ get visited in Kaen, were wrongly incarcerated. 

Somewhere in Kaen Island’s juvenile wing, one silver haired teen huddled against the concrete wall, desperate for coolness. He felt like crying again, due to the lump that threatened to come up in his throat. But it was not a lump of sadness.

No, he was _angry._

Angry at the man who put him there, in that hot, stuffy, sweaty cell. Huddled around gluttons and thieves and assaulters that he’d shared the misfortune of rooming with. He _hated_ him. He wanted that man dead.

“Dead,” he growled under his breath, slightly fogging the glasses that were slightly cracked from a fight he’d participated in the first day he got there.

A kid behind him jabbed at his back, allowing him to feel the glare that pierced the back of his neck. “Shut the fuck up, crazy moron. You’re so annoying.”

Kabuto Yakushi gritted his teeth and moved upwards slightly. He needed more air, more coolness. He was tired of the heat. He couldn’t tell if he liked this heat more, or the numbing cold that came with winter.

Kabuto sighed in relief once he felt a slight, yet present breeze briefly cool his scorched skin. He wanted, no, _needed_ to get out of here. He stood up, stumbling slightly, and walked over to the iron bars that sealed him away from his future.

His life was over. No more college. No jobs would accept him. He was going to rot here in prison. He was going to live like a sewer rat.

Even worse, he was here because he’d been _framed._ Framed for killing the man he idolized, his master, his teacher. Orochimaru was dead, and the motherfucker that killed him _framed_ him. Him!

He jolted out of his thoughts when a man approached him from behind. Kabuto flinched and turned around a bit too fast, feeling a bit lightheaded at the speed of that reflex. The man in front of him freaked the hell out of him. He was pretty good looking, but something fanatic shone in his light green eyes. Something that thrillingly reminded him of his own. He looked older, old enough to not be allowed in the juvenile center.

With white hair and red dots above his eyes, the man, no, Kimimaro, Kabuto recognized him from Ryuchi, stepped closer to him. He reflexively stepped back, causing Kimimaro to move even closer.

“Kabuto Yakushi,” Kimimaro said. “I’m sure you remember me.”

His voice was silky smooth, just as Kabuto remembered. But there was something crazed about it. The teenager loved it.

“I do. Was the organization exposed?”

Kimimaro nodded.

“It was. Orochimaru-sama is now dead.” Kabuto opened his mouth to interrupt, but Kimimaro interrupted him by raising a finger above his lips. “I know that it was not you who did it. You are loyal.”

Kabuto smiled. Yes, he was loyal. Somebody evil did this to him. Somebody that deserved to die in the most unsightly way possible. 

“Y- yes. Kimimaro-san, I’m loyal. I will always be loyal. Orochimaru-sama was killed by somebody who framed me.”

Kimimaro’s expression was rigid, but Kabuto knew he heard his words. Suddenly nobody else was in the room. Kimimaro leaned forward until his lips were a centimeter away from Kabuto’s ear, sending a thrilling feeling down his spine. 

“I want to avenge him,” Kimimaro said, the words echoing in Kabuto’s mind. “If you’re so loyal, I want you to join me.”

Kabuto smiled as his heart finally began to feel full again. He agreed to the offer as soon as he received it, just as he had done with the purple envelope. He was ready.

He laughed quietly to himself as he stared out through the metal bars. A man to fear was a man who acknowledged that he had no future.

That man was going to pay.

* * *

“Sure you’re going to be okay?”

Sasuke sighed and crossed his arms, tilting his head in such a domestic way that made Naruto’s insides feel warm.

“I’ll be fine. I’ve visited on my own a couple of times already, and you’ve asked the same thing every time. He’s not the same man you knew.”

“I _know,”_ Naruto sighed. It was all just… new. And strange. He was glad that Sasuke’s family was finally getting the help they needed.

Sasuke was finally free from hospital visits and appointments. He stood in front of a white door, away from the hallways with colorful drawings made from cheap paper and crayons, and hopscotch drawings messily drawn by chubby young hands on the floors.

“I’m sure he’ll be happy. And you should think about coming too. Like I said, he’s not the same man you knew anymore.”

Naruto nodded and exhaled once more, running rough hands through his own hair. His team had ended up winning their games anyway, and their captain, well, former captain, had graduated.

The two candidates for captain next season were himself and another guy, and he was more than excited and nervous to figure out who was next in line.

“I’ll think about it. Good luck,” Naruto said, smiling. He leaned in to kiss Sasuke on the cheek, who gave him a speedy half hug before walking up to the door.

“Thanks.”

Sasuke said, opening the door and walking inside. Naruto watched as it closed, swiftly yet the way Sasuke walked in replayed in his memory in slow motion. Naruto walked away, ready to go home for the day.

Inside, a young man wearing a dark ponytail sat still on a comfortable bed. His equally dark eyes were visually concealed by long lashes, and his eyebrows slightly furrowed as he remained focused on a thin book that was currently sitting on his lap. One hand held a bright blue pencil, and the other was still atop the book.

Sasuke took a couple of steps inside silently, gaining Itachi’s attention. However, he continued his work, coloring another section of the page. At first, Itachi had been down with anything, especially if it was what Sasuke had wanted. But coloring in a coloring book was outrageous.

But apparently that was what was expected of him, so Itachi would do it. In his opinion, doing that and seeing his brother was better than rotting alone in a jail cell.

“Hi,” Sasuke greeted, placing his bag down on the floor and sitting on the wooden chair a couple of feet away. He placed a plastic bag with sweet contents on a table nearby.

“Hi,” Itachi muttered lowly as he continued to fill in the blanks with color.

It was a comfortable silence. Sasuke pulled out some paper and began to fold, the sound of it creasing and hands and wax on paper the only things audible in the room. While he would never admit it aloud, Sasuke was glad he was able to be around his brother like this. They were finally on the same page.

As for the police, the case went cold. Itachi outplayed them all. Sasuke sighed and drew a face on his next paper human. 

Kabuto Yakushi, the student that Itachi had framed, escaped along with another prisoner. For some time, Sasuke had assumed that it was _him_ that shot him that day. But it couldn’t be. Nobody else knew that it was Itachi. 

Sasuke finally had people that he could confide in and trust. He had people that loved him. He was done with the last piece. He held it up and admired the way the sun shone behind it.

“Aniki. Can you give me that page?”

Itachi looked at him, confusion present in his eyes. He looked down at the paper that he’d finished coloring and nodded anyway, despite the strangeness of that question. He ripped it off neatly, though it was slightly rough around the edges, indicating that it came from a sealed book. Then he walked over to Sasuke and handed it to him.

Sasuke was hunched over, searching for something in his dark gray messenger bag. Itachi suddenly felt intrigued, taking that as a sign to stay there and watch.

The younger brother finally got back up, holding two paper people in one hand and a glue stick in another. A light blush sprouted on his cheeks as he looked away.

“Don’t tell anyone, or I’ll tell people that you had to color in a coloring book,” Sasuke grumbled in embarrassment.

Itachi nodded, watching Sasuke sigh in relief and get back to work. The older Uchiha’s eyes were slightly wide with interest while Sasuke glued the back of the first paper person. It was blond and stupid looking, and that’s what he said out loud.

“Right? And it’s not because I made it that way. It’s because he really does look stupid,” Sasuke chuckled, causing Itachi to smile as well.

With Naruto pasted first, the next one to come was Sasuke, whose hands were outstretched in both directions. Itachi briefly wondered why that was so. There was another one next after Sasuke, and he felt a slight spark of hope.

No, he was being selfish, surely it couldn’t be…

Sasuke pasted the origami version of himself right on the center of the page, with the hand on the left under Naruto’s, making it look like they were holding hands. He looked at it for a moment and smiled. It was perfect.

On July 23rd, Sasuke’s birthday, Fugaku gave Naruto a letter. The man had almost zero communication skills, especially when it came to the loving family kind. So it was no surprise when the letter read as such:

_Naruto Uzumaki,_

_I deeply apologize for my hesitation and unwillingness to support your relationship with my son last Christmas, and some times afterwards._

_It will take some time for me to adjust to this lifestyle, but know that I do not object to any decision relating to your and Sasuke’s own personal association, aside from what we both know will never happen under any roof until you are both of the legal age of consent. Please do not give either of our families a scare._

_With that, I see no reason to continue writing this letter. Thank you for putting a smile on my son’s face._

_I’m sure you already know what the outcome will be if you do anything to cause him harm in any way._

_Best regards,_

_Fugaku Uchiha._

Sasuke laughed out loud when his boyfriend had shown it to him. Hell, it was almost even a cackle. His dad was just so _awkward_ when it came to this kind of thing. The amount of second hand embarrassment Sasuke felt was crazy.

He was beyond glad his father supported them. It was definitely going to take a while, since Fugaku was a tough nut to crack, but his father held lots of love, despite his overwhelming Uchiha pride. Sasuke was happy to call him his father. 

Finally it was time for the last one to be glued onto the paper. Sasuke picked up the origami unit and pressed the glue stick all over the back of it, making the entire backside purple. Itachi watched as he flipped it around, and felt his own mouth open slightly.

“Is that.. me?” Itachi asked. 

Sasuke smiled and pressed the last paper human, Itachi, on top of the sheet next to paper Sasuke. He made sure to glue the hand on top like he did with Naruto and clasped his hands together, finally finished.

“I was wondering when you’d figure it out. Do you like it?”

The younger of the two looked up with hopeful eyes, causing yet another wall he’d stationed around himself to melt at such a warmth. Itachi huffed a soft laugh through his nostrils and brushed a bang away from his own face.

He tapped Sasuke on the forehead with two fingers, and this time, it was different.

“I love it, otouto. Thank you.”

Sasuke held the paper up and showed Itachi, whose mind continued to repeat the last time something like this happened. What was so different this time? Itachi looked at the paper.

What changed since the last time Sasuke drew something that contained the two of them? It was the first time Itachi felt love, but… wasn’t that a bad thing? It had led to all of—

Oh.

_Oh._

Naruto had told him there was another way.

Because this time… there were three people on the page. And they were _all_ holding hands. There was a line connecting the older Uchiha and the dumb looking blond, symbolizing their new bond. Itachi felt the urge to stumble.

Was this what he had meant? He turned to look at Sasuke, whose eyes were blocked by his own ebony bangs. He was staring at the same thing. 

_“Why do you go to such lengths for me, Sasuke?”_

_The youngest Uchiha paused for a couple of seconds, wondering what Itachi meant, before smiling up at his elder brother._

_“‘Cause you’re my aniki, and I love my aniki.”_

Written on the drawing was the phrase _LOVE CAN BE SHARED._

A real smile dragged along Itachi’s face. 

It was unlike any other smile he’d ever revealed, and it remained even after Sasuke left. When the nurse came back inside for another check up, a newfound warmth replaced the cold emptiness and vacancy that had always been present in his eyes.

Itachi was happy. Things were going to be okay.

A small box of sweet dango sticks and confections was sitting on the table, waiting to be enjoyed. Sasuke had left it there. 

* * *

After a couple of minutes of conversing, Tsunade and Minato heard a car arrive at the driveway. No doubt about it, it was Naruto. The two adults stood, ready to tell him the news they’d heard from school. It was unfortunate, but hey, it was life.

Some shuffling was heard after the door was opened. Naruto was taking his shoes off. He noticed how lively the house seemed to be as he walked towards the living room. Like he’d thought, his father and Tsunade were waiting for him.

“How’re you doing, brat?” Tsunade asked, trying to sound as bright as possible.

Naruto noticed her tenseness and raised an eyebrow. He seemed to forget about it a second later, though, and grinned.

“Great. Sasuke’s visiting Itachi, and tomorrow we’re going to the arcade. Apparently Itachi and his therapist made a breakthrough.”

“That sounds great!” Minato replied. “It’s good to know he’s making progress.”

The tanned, tattooed teenager sat on the couch and sighed, nodding. He couldn’t help but feel a _little_ jealous that it was taking up most of Sasuke’s time, along with preparations and studies for senior year. Sasuke liked to overwork himself, and Naruto just wished he could pull him away from that stupid desk sometimes and drag him somewhere nice.

Naruto was a major extrovert. He liked going out and playing basketball, and sharing food (not ramen, unless it was Sasuke). But the thing was, Sasuke was the opposite. He was a complete introvert, and he liked to stay inside and be productive.

Not to say that being productive wasn’t a good thing— it definitely was, but it got excessive. But that didn’t matter. Naruto loved and would always love the seventeen year old.

“So, what’s up? You two seem worried about something.”

Tsunade stiffened again, suddenly feeling tight against her own skin. She glanced at Minato to see if he could do the honors, but he was just as apprehensive about it. 

Both of them sucked a breath in and sat across from him with the coffee table in between. Minato decided to break the ice first, clearing his throat and uncrossing his legs.

“Your principal died a peaceful death last night. He was with his grandson,” Minato said somberly. “He was fighting an undiagnosed condition.”

At first, Naruto didn’t really hear what he’d said. He just sat there for a moment, waiting for the real news. 

Then he realized how heavy the weight of that statement had been. His shoulders sagged as he leaned back on his chair, shaking his head and covering his face.

“No,” he lamented weakly. “Not principal Hiruzen..” Tsunade walked over to him and gave him a hug. Naruto exhaled slowly and looked down.

Even though the principal could be pushy and annoying sometimes, it didn’t stop Naruto from seeing him as a grandfather. He saw every student of his as family, and that was what made him different from every other principal.

The blond himself was probably one of the worst students to ever cross the old man’s path, yet he still gave Naruto a chance. Multiple chances, even. He was the one that pushed Naruto to focus on his grades so that he could follow his passion in sports.

“Shit…” Naruto said, the weight finally settling on his shoulders.

It was sad to see the old man go, but there was no doubt that he’d lived a fulfilling life. He’d done everything he planned to do. Naruto was glad his life didn’t end in tragedy.

At least his family was with him. His grandson, too. Naruto didn’t know them, aside from his history teacher, Asuma, but he wished them all the best. 

“They’ve already chosen a new principal,” Minato continued, after Naruto had woken from his sorrow. “His name is Danzō Shimura.”

That name sent a chill down Naruto’s spine for an unknown reason. At the first listen, Naruto already knew he wasn’t going to like him. He nodded, standing up and wondering if his suspicions were correct. 

Naruto seemed to have picked up a newfound sense of skepticism after this year. He hoped it would come in handy in the future. 

After all, there was somebody out there looking for Sasuke’s blood. He guessed he’d have to find out next year. And he would, because like the origami necklace he wore around his neck, every suspect was connected. 

As for now, Naruto picked up his bag and went up the ludicrously long staircase. Even now, his father _still_ hadn’t invested in a much needed elevator. Naruto smiled and shook his head.

Speaking of Minato, Naruto needed to treat him to the legendary Ichiraku’s ramen sometime soon. Naruto wanted to introduce him to miso ramen this time, since his father seemed to only choose shoyu. Naruto passed the same portrait of himself and Nagato, who was currently doing well in his own business.

Finally reaching his room, Naruto passed by the basketball hoop that was stationed on his door and stuffed his bag with items and tickets that he’d need to trade in at the arcade. He was ready to verse Sasuke in another game of _Weasel Catcher,_ and maybe he could convince him to teach him how to make a paper fox. 

His phone began to ring, and Naruto grinned when he recognized the Caller ID.

“Hey,” he said.

_“Look out your window.”_

Naruto blinked and followed his order, jogging to the glass pane and pulling the curtain away.

And there they all were. His friends, each and every one of them. Naruto’s smile was wide enough to hurt. At the center, the pale kid he’d gotten to know and love smirked and waved.

This was going to be a good summer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this the last chapter! Yes. Has this story ended? Nope! In all honesty, I cant believe I had enough motivation to even write this story. Like, wow, that's crazy to me. Butttt I did and I fell in love with it. At some point I'm going to try and come up with a new summary, since the one that's currently on here sucks ass. Thank you guys so much for reading and enjoying, and I want to thank everyone that's left kudos and commented. I'm going to take a break for a bit for planning, and when it ends, I'll begin writing the sequel. Again, thank you so much for reading!!!


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